Northeast Ohio and Cleveland have produced a remarkable tradition of achievement in the arts over the years.  The Canton Museum of Art concentrates on American Art; we also highlight artists from Northeast Ohio in our galleries.  We were pleased to be a part of the CAN Triennial and to review the fine works that have appeared in Cleveland.  When we saw Amy Casey’s work, we knew that she would be a great fit at our museum. Amy’s work has a unique voice; it is as if a part of Amy has been infused into each piece that she creates. A story tumbles out of each building, house, and vine, and causes you to ponder its meaning. The Canton Museum of Art is pleased to share Amy Casey’s work with its community, and to support a local artist.

From the artist: 

"For some time, I have been working on an evolving series of cityscapes that reflect my view of the world as a mutable, uneasy construction. Using real buildings and elements of the landscape as blocks, I build and rebuild my own cities in painstaking, meditative detail, tinkering with them to try to make sense of the world.

These landscapes burst with buildings that came together to form superstructures, supporting each other in closed systems that existed in a clean white void. Then, around five years ago, I started filling that white void with nature, and the idea of feeling or being lost became a focus of the work. This profound “lostness” could be the unsettling experience of finding yourself in a world turning alien around you or, more optimistically, could lead to a hopeful escape to a new world. The paintings began expressing a desire to escape into nature, which is a shakier ground than ever with the changing climate. A nature which, though still inviting, is under threat from us and threatens us in return.

The sense of community and perpetual growth in earlier paintings disappeared and the buildings mostly broke away from their superstructures. In some paintings, those superstructures are literally crumbling. In others, the buildings are immersed in challenging situations. My city dwellers now find themselves placed in precarious, unexpected positions - sometimes to their advantage and sometimes to their detriment. Though I hope for the best, my paintings frequently express my anxiety for society and our world.
What do we do when the world seems to be falling apart and strange new realities reset our everyday? We’ve all had to answer that question over the past few years. With all of our vulnerabilities, resilience, stubbornness, inventiveness, and occasional failure to look into the face of reality, what choice do we have but to adapt and use whatever resources are available to continue on? Life changes and goes forward in new forms. So we continue continuing, finding moments of peace and connection amidst change and chaos.

The paintings themselves are made up of many pieces of architecture and nature. The city buildings and homes are collected from places I’ve lived or visited, especially Cleveland—my home for the past twenty years. The nature is inspired by photos from my own tentative hiking escapes, getting lost more than a few times from following trails of mossy rocks and rotting stumps. My paintings draw from specific places or things, though they are sometimes amalgamated versions of my sources. My love of detail is inspired partly by my own fuzzy eyesight, and partly by the meditative oblivion this kind of mark making can pull you into. And the color? I find a vibrant palette is just the thing to cheer up even the gloomiest dystopia."

https://www.amycaseypainting.com/

https://www.instagram.com/amy_casey_art/

Image Previous Page: Huddle, 2018. Amy Casey. Acrylic on cradled panel, 16 x 16 x 1.5 inches. On Loan from the collection of Charles Bluestone.

Above Image: Kapow, 2019. Amy Casey. Acrylic on cradled panel, 12 x 12 x 1 inches. On Loan from the collection of Daniel Bush and Hilary Gent.