“Blue and Green Hushed” 30 x 40 oil on canvas by Casey Chalem Anderson
This just completed commission of the salt marshes at Landing Lane in East Hampton, New York is a favorite spot of mine. It is beyond any road noise so all you hear are the sounds of lapping water and a few gulls in the sky. Your eyes can stretch out a great distance over the soft green grasses and see Napeaque Bay.
One time when I was out there with my easel set up looking out on the wide vista something truly amazing happened. I was intensely painting, moving my brush around the canvas with gusto in an effort to get it all down. I was deep in a flurry of activity but everything I was looking at was peaceful and quiet. Just the breezes gently blowing.
All of a sudden, a grey piece of driftwood sitting in the deep green marsh a 100 feet away, rose up and transformed into a huge grey heron. It flew directly overhead spreading its wings 6 feet in a stunning display. I took it to be a good omen and felt completely connected to the natural world in a way that a girl from NYC could never have imagined.
Thank you all for coming to see my show “American Realism” with Fairfield Porter and Neil Welliver. It very successful and thrilling. In case you missed it and want to see some of my paintings and drawings that are still available, Ille Arts is keeping some pieces on hand. Sara DeLuca will be happy to show you them.
Ille Arts 171 Main Street Amagansett, NY 631 905 9894 (a few doors down from Stephen Talkhouse)
Very best,
Casey
