Casey Roberts Solo Exhibition: Quiet Light

Casey Roberts’s paintings are dark, yet humorous. Animals play a leading role, and the work blends together to form a narrative. There’s a moral of the story, one that hints at humans’ relationship with nature with a knowing wink. In this way, the work is synonymous with a fairytale.

Roberts’s way of creating a painting is precarious: the process is akin to printmaking, using chemicals and light opposed to carving. The paintings are built up of layers; Roberts stencils off portions and exposes the paper to light, repeating this process until the painting is complete. He often finishes the paintings with elements of watercolour or collage, and leaves evidence of the process–an integral part of the work–with the holes used to pin the paper to the wall framing the exterior. A wrong move late in the process renders the work void and Roberts is forced to start over. The high stakes of the creative process imbue the paintings with a tension that is opposite to the balanced calm of the composition, creating work ripe with complexity.

Roberts received his degree from the Herron School of Art and Design in Indianapolis, IN. In September of 2019 he exhibited a solo show at the Richard E. Peeler Art Center at Depauw University. In 2005 he received the Creative Renewal Arts Fellowship from the Arts Council of Indianapolis. His work is held in numerous collections, including the Indiana State Museum, the Fort Wayne Museum of Art, the US Department of State, Eli Lilly, Indiana University and more. Roberts lives and works in Indianapolis, IN.

Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 12-6PM