BRUCE CASCIA began drawing at a young age and took his first oil painting class when he was just twelve years old. After receiving his BFA in Graphic Design from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, he spent 35 years as an art director at major Chicago ad agencies, all the while continuing to paint and show in multiple galleries. He now paints full time.
Using mostly oils, and occasionally acrylics, he paints in a photo-realistic style that borders on hyper-realism. Referring to his technique, Cascia says, “Most of the time I use photographs for reference, but I’ve done watercolors on location to refer to as well. They lend themselves to quick composition studies, because you have to finish before the light changes.” Lighting plays an important role in all his work, combining inspiration from Maxfield Parrish and Andrew Wyeth.
Drawn to the freedom of the open road and to images that evoke a sense of nostalgia, his initial paintings were of solitary diners, truck stops, and motorcycles, all placed in dramatic vistas of the American Southwest. Through his paintings, Cascia captures urban and rural scenes that reflect his perspective of American life and allow others a glimpse of isolated moments in time. His efforts to elevate these mundane or forgotten elements to that of “painting subject” is his way of preserving on canvas that which may eventually be lost.
Cascia’s Cloudscape series evoke a contemplative mood. Originally inspired by observing dramatic thunderheads roll across the Illinois prairie dotted with lone farmhouses, he now draws inspiration from his many road trips out west. Photographing the ever-changing clouds and the evolving landscapes provide him with invaluable references for creating these dramatic paintings. Within his powerful cloudscapes, Cascia’s "lone farmhouses" insert both a sense of scale and a metaphor for the human spirit standing strong despite the storms that confront it.
His Neon series—nostalgic Americana, inherently campy, and a nod to pop culture—grew out of his fascination with vintage neon signage and dusk lighting. “It’s that time of day, the golden hour,” says Cascia, “It’s when neon signage comes alive and competes with nature for color intensity.”
Bruce Cascia currently resides and works in Los Angeles, CA. Cascia’s work can be viewed at the following galleries: Giacobbe-Fritz Fine Art, Santa Fe, NM; Lovetts Gallery, Tulsa, OK; Park City Fine Art, Park City, UT; RARE Gallery, Jackson, WY; and SmithKlein Gallery, Boulder, CO.