2020
Amy Casey
a bit about my work
Cities are fascinating creatures. The work and organization that goes into a city’s creation and evolution, the constant shifting and adaptions and layers of changes.. I've been watching cities of sorts (some are perhaps just towns or hamlets or a block party ) evolve in my paintings for some time now. My cities are shaped by: everyday observations; cause and effect; a non-linear narrative; composition, movement and color; sleep deprivation; and at times, a desire to see large groups work together towards a common goal- making something bigger than themselves individually. Though my townsfolk have gone through some difficult and perilous times, I am now trying to focus on growth (which I realize is also frequently difficult). I am trying to put down some roots in a landless landscape and move forward. Nature has found it's way back into the work, and I am still discovering the role it plays and where this is all going. I am curious about the resilience of life and our ability to keep going in the face of ever shifting circumstances. My paintings celebrate this ability and also my love of the urban landscape.
a little about me
studio helper Frankie supervises the work
I was born in 1976 in Erie, Pennsylvania, the first half (baby a.) of a surprise set of twins. My childhood memories consist mainly of hanging out with trees and reading library books but my twin Beth (baby b.) assures me that other events did happen. My middle school counselor pushed me into art classes probably because I was waffling without direction and possibly because he wanted to get to lunch early. My chance encounter with his longing for a PBJ eventually led me to the local school for performing and visual arts with two great mentors, Mary Pat Haven and Kenneth Kopin. They encouraged me to love and pursue art. From there I ended up in glorious Cleveland where I got my BFA from the Cleveland Institute of Art. After a short stint in Chicago with a pirate, I settled in the Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. It is now a good bit less grimy than it was when I first arrived. My neighborhood has definitely infiltrated my work and you can see bits of it in my paintings. Most all the buildings I paint are real buildings, though sometimes altered, and many of them are from Cleveland, since I live here. I paint full time now and also do some printmaking at Zygote Press where I have a second little studio. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to receive three Ohio Arts Council Individual Awards, The Cleveland Arts Prize, a grant from CPAC's Creative Workforce Fellowship program, The Paul and Norma Tikkanen 1st place painting prize, a fellowship at the Vermont Studio Center and the Helene Wurlitzer Foundation in Taos, New Mexico and a summer residency at The Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, MA via the Ohio Arts Council.
I am currently represented by Zg Gallery in Chicago.
Cleveland Arts Prize Video
I did a teeny film with Ted Sikora in 2011 for the Cleveland Arts Prize. It shows me in the studio and a bit of the progression of my work over a period of years. I had it embedded here, but something was gumming up the works and it was janky and slow, so try this link instead: http://vimeo.com/25658840 It will open in another window. It is very short at 5:58 minutes, so don't worry about it taking up your entire lunch.