Exploring Light and Shadow
May/June
2016
Casavant’s
Seasonal Expressions
by
Taryn Plumb
For
Arnie Casavant, it’s not the subject itself that entices — but
the light hitting it, giving it life, shadow, color, dimension,
personality.
“It’s
the time of day that it’s painted,” said the Quincy artist. “I
have absolutely no interest in painting from 10 in the morning to 3
in the afternoon. It’s the least inspiring time. The colors just
aren’t there for me. The sunlight in the morning and the evening
provides me with a dramatic effect on a subject.”.
“I
want people to notice the atmosphere, the color,” said Casavant,
who retired in 2005 from his 27-year career as an art teacher at
Oliver Ames High School in Easton. In his ongoing study of light —
much of which he does plein air — Casavant creates an unmistakable
sense of movement.
“Boston
Public Garden,” for instance, depicts a familiar scene: The bridge
over the lagoon, portions of the business district flanking the
background. However, Casavant’s unique perspective creates a sense
of movement, an impression of freshly falling snow. Meanwhile, in
“Country Road,” his airy brush strokes allow viewers to feel a
summer breeze nudging the field grass and the tree branches.
GUIDING
LIGHT:
As
he described it, he was “always attracted to light, always aware of
light.” As a kid, he recalled noticing the rays of light streaming
into his family’s apartment in a Fall River triple-decker; later,
after graduating from high school, he had that same awareness when he
was working in the city’s mills. Even today, he enjoys the sunset
every night — and the first thing he does when he takes his dog out
for a walk every morning is look up at the sky to see where the sun
is, and what colors are in play.
Meanwhile,
he is also drawn to the subjects that often blur into the background
of everyday life. For instance, tankers carrying natural gas and rock
salt into Boston Harbor, or the rusting and gritty overpasses of the
highway systems running in and around Boston. “I found the beauty
in the urbanscape,” said Casavant. “As artists, at least
representational artists, we look for the beauty in things.”
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