Studio 4

Edward Cascone

Acrylic, Watercolor, Mixed Media

edcasconesaxman.com

edcasconesaxman@gmail.com

My artwork derives from two very different worlds. The first is reality based, where one can expect to see things for what they are, and the other is abstract surrealism, where reality is lost. My obsession with painting is a quest for the unreachable perfection that burns within. In my quest for deeper meaning through creativity I have used unconventional mediums such as insulation foam, which allows me to build the surface quickly with surprising results. I wrestle with mixed mediums, watercolors, and acrylics to produce landscapes, portraits and abstract/surrealist works; jumping from highly detailed reality-based subjects to the disorganized entropic landscapes that are a part of my nature. I wish to express the human condition with no limitations. I have committed myself in this way to continue experimenting with different mediums and color techniques to create works of art that will distinguish me as a fine artist. I am motivated by the jazz saxophonists of the BeBop era that inspired me for decades. This is the music of abstract and surreal landscapes that reverberate in my mind as I work. It is the voice of Entropy that expresses chaos and order, joy and sorrow, birth and death.

My exploration of American Jazz Culture has inspired me to pay tribute to great sax musicians such as Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Ben Webster, Dexter Gordan and Cannonball Adderley. Their musical expressions have inspired me to learn how to play the saxophone which became another facet of my creativity.

Biography

Edward Cascone began his formal art education in 1969 at School of Visual Arts, NYC. There he studied painting and drawing under the supervision of the renowned artist, Chuck Close. He traveled to Europe where he studied the French impressionists; visited the Louvre in Paris, France, and journeyed to Provence and the city of Arles. It was there he developed his technique in water colors and gouache. He also toured Italy and Greece and took a special interest in ancient architecture and philosophy. He worked as an art conservationist at Julius Lowey/Shar/Sisto, Manhattan, N.Y. There he learned how to restore priceless works of art and also took an interest in photo-restoration.

In the years that followed he painted and photographed landscapes of Fire Island, NY and exhibited his work at the annual Ocean Beach Arts & Crafts Show. In 2005 he enrolled at Dowling College in an effort to finish his education and obtain his BA. He studied Political Science, Art and English Literature. During this time, he served on the college newspaper (The Lion’s Voice) as graphic designer/photographer and reporter. In 2011 he graduated with honors. He has written and published short stories, poetry and completed his first novel that same year.

Cascone is a self-taught musician and has been playing flute, tenor and soprano saxophone professionally for 4 decades. He has performed with R&B and Jazz groups on Long Island, NY. His musical inspiration derives from jazz greats of the Be Bop era, such as John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Dexter Gordon and Cannonball Adderley. His interest in music has inspired a series of paintings that focus on these historic icons of music.In April 2012 he broke with tradition and developed a new painting technique he calls Dimensional Surfacing. This method has enabled him to express deeper human emotion that derives from the subject of ENTROPY, introduced by Rudolf Arnheim, the perceptual psychologist/philosopher who taught at Berkeley in 1971.

In September 2017, he relocated to Lyman, South Carolina with his wife, Charlene. Since then, the artist has produced dozens of landscapes of Greenville. In 2020 he was commissioned to paint a mural, measuring 7ft. by 11ft., that can be
seen at The Greene Apartments, 1108 Main Street, Greenville, SC.