Meet Edward Cascone | Visual Artist/Writer/Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Edward Cascone and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Edward, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I was aware of my artistic talents at age fourteen and encourage by my parents and grade school teachers. As time went by and my knowledge of art expanded I found myself completely consumed in painting and drawing to the point of obsession. By the time I was seventeen I planned to enroll at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Between the years of 1967 and 1970 I had become absorbed in portrait painting, and during my time at School of Visual Arts I was fortunate to have taken classes with the renowned artist, Chuck Close. His method of transforming the human face into something more then a simple portrait further encouraged me to experiment with color, form and dimension.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I feel that my work is unique in that is an induvial testimony of my life. My ability to create has rescued me from insanity where I would retreat into my deepest thoughts and dismiss the troubles that plagued me, particularly when I was a teen. Painting and drawing enabled me to gain self awareness and a sense of pride. It seemed at times that many of my pears did not understand where or what it was that I was striving for. The artists I became familiar with wanted nothing more then to make money through commercial art, where all I wanted was to gain recognition for my work and perhaps later I would be able market my work. As a result, I have maintained a philosophy that frees me from the greed that drives other artists. I have been successful in obtaining recognition of my efforts and have received awards for both my artwork and my writing. The professional aspect has always shifted from one source to another in order to remain active. For example. I once worked as an Art Conservator in Manhattan. The company I worked for was Julius Lowey, Shar Sisto. They are still in existence and are known for the restoration of highly valued art. There I learned how to repair priceless works of art that were damaged by time and neglect. This was short lived however, but it was an education I will always cherish. I discovered it was best to remain as close to the field of art while trying to make a living. I lived in a 6 story walkup in Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn in NY with my first wife who was French. We had a few sticks of furniture, some dinnerware, a mattress and our clothing. The apartment was in a slum, but it was all we could afford. We traveled to and from work in the heart of the city by subway. Winters were excruciatingly cold and the summers burning hot. Through one job or another we survived. I stayed within the art field by learning photographic retouching and worked for a variety of commercial retouching companies in NYC. The art of retouching photos involved wet mediums and airbrushing. It was a highly specialized craft that paid well.
Eventually, my wife and I were able to stabilize our income and move to a better section of Brooklyn where we had our first child. We traveled to Montpellier France to visit her family and I fell in love with the landscape. I would run off and sketch in pastels some of the most beautiful scenery I had ever experienced. On some trips we would fly into Paris, stay for a week and traveled to Provence by rail. When we returned to our home I had many drawings and watercolors of the Seine in my portfolio that I used as subjects for oil paintings. Each year we would save enough money to travel to France, and each trip extended to other regions such as Arles, Avignon, Lyon and Sete. During this time I had broadened my appreciation for landscape painting and European architecture.
I would sell artwork on the side while working as a photographic retoucher in New York. When my wife was pregnant with second child we were forced to move in with my parents to save enough money afford a house of our own. The strain of living in a small home began to ware on us, but we managed to find an affordable home on Long Island.
Years passed and a recession put me on the unemployment line. I struck out on my own and began to freelance as a photographic retoucher for various companies on Long Island such as Doulbleday Books, Pall Corp and Audio Vox. Another recession hit the industries on Long Island when the World Trade Center was attacked, and I was forced to work as a tin knocker for an HVAC company. It was hard work that involved long hour and 100 degree attics and crawl spaces.
I still painted when I could and took up the saxophone as a hobby. I found another outlet for my creativity when I learned to play the sax, and soon I was seeking out bands that needed a good horn player. But money kept slipping through my fingers, and no matter how hard I tried there was just no way to keep ahead of the bills.
I had hit rock bottom. The kids had grown and were old enough to strike out on their own, and my wife and I divorced. We sold the house and at about that time I was with a band and working for a Guard Agency to make ends meet. That’s when I met Charlene. She was working as a Radiology Therapist at Sloan Kettering in Commack, Long Island. She was looking for an artistic outlet too and became a singer with a group of musicians. They auditioned me soon after and that’s how I met Charlene. We worked together and had our share paying gigs. Soon we realized that this band was going no where, so we decided to form a duet. In the interim Charlene and I fell madly in love and she asked me to marry her. That is what saved me from ruin. We’ve been together for almost twenty years. I have learned much since and can only say that there is a path we all walk and sometimes there are dead ends and dark moments that force us to make desperate decisions. If we find a reason to live through our own determination and perseverance we can overcome most any obstacle. I would offer those who find themselves blindsided by life’s misfortunes this advice; as long as you are able to persevere and remain true to yourself then you will succeed. Your mistakes are there as a lesson to take seriously. If you have reached the bottom there is no other place to go but back to the top. Your strength is your wisdom, and the sacrifices you make for others will be rewarded with love.
I have forged my own path by interpreting the world around me through my work. It’s been a spiritual journey that emotes human expression and limitless discovery. I have come to realize that my paintings and literary work will be my legacy.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My wife and I left Long Island in 2017 and moved to Greenville South Carolina. Since then our close friends visit and we have always had the pleasure of entertaining them. Greenville is a fascinating town that has many different venues. The restaurants we frequent are in the heart of the town and the Peace Center theatre district provides concerts, plays and Broadway shows. The Reedy River flows through the town and is a grand part of the Falls Park where you can casually stroll across the Liberty Bridge for a spectacular view.
I have been a part of a Co-op gallery known as GVL (formally Open Art Studios) for 7 years. I met the owner, Ashley Brickner in January 2017 and we became close friends ever since. Ashely is an extraordinary young artist with a keen sense of marketing skills that has enabled me, and the other members of the co-op, to obtain steady sales of our artwork. The Gallery is located at 14 South Main Street, Greenville, SC, in the center of the city. My wife and I assist with the curation of the artists art and also provide the musical entertainment for what is known as the First Friday Event. These events are held every first Friday of each month as an open invitation to the public. We serve a buffet of assorted cheese, wine and homemade hors d’oeuvres. The gallery has been the source of my success as a painter and I owe it all to Ashely. She has been instrumental in promoting my talent which allowed me to make significant sales of my work to corporate clients such as Ernst and Young.
We have encouraged many of our friends to visit and share the experience of this beautiful place. During this time we have convinced other couples to relocate here for their retirement years. In doing so we have created a small network of friends that we truly love. There are expansive lakes and waterfalls on the outlying regions within the Blue Ridge Mountains that we often visit as well. These picturesque expanses are truly inspirational for painters like me. In 2018 I organized Plein-air group in an effort to expose amateur and semi-professional artists to landscape painting. We have gathered at places such as Campbells Covered Bridge in Landrum, SC, Falls Park, Greenville, SC, and the Elf Leaf Farm. In that same year I organized a Figure Drawing class at the gallery that enabled artists to improve their skills and understanding of the human form.
Greenville has become an eclectic town that unites people with seasonal festivals, outdoor art exhibits and assorted music venues. The town has grown since we’ve moved here and improved in so many ways. I am grateful to those people who we have become aquatinted with here in South Carolina and hope to inspire those who are open to my creative expressions.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Chuck Close was highly influential supportive. But the one person who truly believed in my ability to create is my wife, Charlene. She is my muse and strength behind everything I do. Since we met in 2003 I have excelled in my artistic endeavors and pursued writing as an extension of my talents. She and I became involved in music and formed our own duet where she sings and I back her up with saxophone. We developed a band and have been playing for clubs and private parties for twenty years. it has been a very loving and rewarding experience. I have written poetry that is dedicated to her and she has assisted me in writing a manuscript that I hope to have published as a novel.

Website: https://www.gvl-art.com/team-4 http://edcasconesaxman.com/

Facebook: Art by Ed Cascone https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=art%20by%20ed%20cascone

Other: http://edcasconesaxman.com/

Image Credits
Art by Ed Cascone