Spotlight Interview with Todd M. Casey, Best-selling Author and Artist from Connecticut
Today we sat down for an interview with Todd M. Casey, an award-winning artist whose work can be found in galleries and collections throughout the United States.
Casey’s work has been growing rapidly in popularity, particularly after he won first place 3 years in a row in the Portrait Society of America Members Only Competition, and first place (Gold Medal) in oil painting from the Allied Artists of America in 2015.
Our team at Workshop SLC loves his still life paintings and portraiture work and we’re excited to share that he will be teaching his first workshop at Workshop SLC in September!
Casey’s first workshop with us will be a special joint-instructor workshop alongside Workshop SLC repeat instructor Sarah Sedwick. The workshop is nearly full, but as of publishing you are still able to purchase a ticket on our website here.
Todd, thanks for sitting down with us!
Thank you for having me. This will be my first time in Salt Lake City teaching and I can’t wait to come to Utah in September!
Todd, you have such an interesting background it’s hard to know where to start! Why don’t you tell us about growing up being interested in art with your brother in Lowell, Massachusetts.
The story of art usually begins with my brother Chris as we shared a room growing up (he’s 3 ½ years older than I am). He was good at art from a young age and because we shared so much, I took a liking to it most likely because of him. The two of us went to College together after I graduated high school (I convinced him to go with me). We’ve kind of followed each other our whole lives as we both worked for Ralph Lauren as Graphic Designers for years in NYC (he still works there, I do not).
Is it true that in High School you were presented an award for a drawing by a local Congressperson? What did that do for your love of the arts?
Yes, I entered 2 drawings into a show for the 5th Congressional District (Merrimack Valley MA) and Marty Meehan was our congressman. I was awarded 1st place which was a trip to Washington DC where my drawing would hang in the U. S. Capitol building with all of the other award winners for a year. It was just as I was finishing up my senior year of high school so it gave me some good momentum going into college.
You chose to study at the Massachusetts College of Art, again with your brother. Tell us about that experience and why you chose to study at that College in particular.
My parents did not go to college, in fact no one in my family ever did (my dad didn’t graduate high school). I did really well in high school and I was encouraged to continue in art. Massachusetts College of Art is a great state funded art school. The tuition was affordable and I applied and got it. If I did not, I would have most likely gone into the Army or Marines (like my dad, Army).
Your first job out of your art studies was applying your creativity in a corporate setting, working for the Ralph Lauren Corporation. How was that experience?
I had a lot of other jobs first (waiter, construction, mail man etc.) but the first art job I received was to work in the art department at Ralph Lauren in 2004, I graduated in 2001.
You eventually met Warren Chang, a narrative realist painter who seemed to have left quite an impression on you at the time. What about his approach attracted you to him?
In 2005 after working in the corporate world for a year, I felt it was not the right place for me so I went to graduate school at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. I was going for a masters in 2D Animation because I was inspired by the movie The Incredibles. In the foundation classes, I met Warren Chang and he changed my trajectory. We would talk about illustrators and great artists in his class and we had so much overlap as to what we both liked. His approach was anchored on good drawing which is what I loved. He encouraged me to study with the best painters, most of them in New York City. There I met Max Ginsburg and Jacob Collins.
What was your experience like working with Max Ginsburg and Jacob Collins?
Working with Max and Jacob was great. Max is a direct painter and Jacob is mostly an indirect painter. I studied with both of them for about 2-3 years while trying to figure it all out. They both stressed having a great sense of drawing to anchor a painting onto.
Is it fair to say that at some point you started to feel you had developed your own voice as a realist painter? How did you start to see that in your work and what did that do for your career?
My own voice came later as I was trying to get the understanding and techniques first. Spending time alone and working through my ideas is how my own voice began to emerge. Everything I’ve done has left a lasting impression as working for Ralph Lauren is also part of my voice.
What advice would you give other artists who would like to approach narrative realism in their painting?
Learn the fundamentals and techniques and then try to figure out your voice. Don’t paint versions of other peoples paintings, be inspired by them.
You’ve since won many awards. Was there one award in particular that was particularly meaningful to you?
It’s hard to pinpoint one, I’m grateful whenever someone awards me. I won an award through the Lowell Cemetery in 2019 which got me a little teary. I grew up about ¼ fo a mile from the Cemetery and the first award I received that kind of began my career (the one where my work hung in the US Capital) was of a lion statue from that cemetery. There was something about coming full circle that got me emotional.
Todd’s best-selling book, “The Art of Still Life”
What can students who attend one of your workshops expect from you as a teacher? How do you like to approach art instruction?
Students in my workshops will receive the basics and fundamentals needed to make a great painting. I teach both the direct and indirect methods but also go over materials, color theory and composition. I love to help others achieve their goals!
Todd, thank you so much for your time today. We can’t wait for your upcoming workshop and for the many we hope to have in the future with you!