Casey Chalem Anderson Makes Magic at Towd Point

This week’s Dan’s Papers cover artist, Casey Chalem Anderson, discusses her painting “Twilight at the Point” and the North Sea spot that continues to inspire her to paint, write and return again and again to capture the location’s beauty and stillness in all its many forms.

A Conversation with Casey Chalem Anderson

Tell me about “Twilight at the Point.” Where is it and what inspired this piece?

“Twilight at the Point” comes from Towd Point in the North Sea area of Southampton, a place I have painted for years and keep returning to. It is a spot where the land, sky, and water feel as if they are in a quiet conversation with one another. The light at that hour, the last glow before the world turns dim, has a softness that feels almost protective.

When I was standing there that evening, everything had gone still. Even the slightest ripple on the water seemed to pause. I felt that familiar sense of recognition, as if the landscape was offering something I needed in that moment. That feeling guided the painting.

Having this piece on the cover of Dan’s Papers feels very special. Towd Point is where I first began to understand the quiet beauty of the East End, and it remains a place that keeps drawing me back and inspiring me.

You called this a visual exhale. Is this sense of peace and stillness something you often try to create?

Peace is something I chase in paint, and I think a lot of viewers are looking for that, too. Life on the East End can be restorative, but the pace of getting here and the pace of everyday demands are not always calm. When I am out in the marshes or along the harbor, I am reminded that the natural world is moving at a gentler rhythm. It invites you to tune in, settle a little, breathe a little.

When I paint, I try to offer some of that steadiness. Not an escape, but a grounding. I love when someone tells me a painting made them feel calmer or more connected. That is the greatest compliment, because it means the painting offered a moment that stayed with them.

What are your primary techniques and media? How does a painting come to life?

I work in oil, which lets me layer atmosphere the way light settles in the sky or across water. I begin by blocking in the large shapes that anchor the composition, the horizon line, the sweep of a marsh, the shape of a cloud bank. Those early decisions set the tone for the painting.

Then the process becomes more subtle. I glaze, shift colors, adjust edges, and slowly build up the surface until the painting feels alive. My goal is to suggest the essence of the place without describing everything directly. The East End is full of small transitions, a tide turning or the sky shifting its colors, and I try to capture those fleeting changes through soft edges and careful color mixing.

Talk to me about painting on the East End. What excites and inspires you most?

The East End offers a sense of openness that feels both timeless and immediate. The marshes, tidal flats, salt ponds, and long stretches of beach have a quiet geometry that continues to inspire me. The light here is extraordinary, sometimes crystalline, sometimes hazy, and sometimes glowing from within with a quiet depth that lingers.

What excites me most is how different the same place can feel from one hour to the next. One evening at Towd Point might start with vibrant pinks, and then shift to cool silvers and deep blues. Those changes keep me alert and keep me painting.

Do you have any new shows or projects underway or coming up?

Yes. I continue to work on my series of 36 views of the North Sea area, centered on Towd Point, exploring its shifting light, quiet marshes, and the sense of place that keeps pulling me back. The project keeps evolving and opening new ways of seeing. I want to create an entire book of these paintings and include writings about this very special place.

I also have exhibition plans for the coming year, along with pieces that will be traveling to group shows and fairs. It feels like a very full and exciting period of work.

Where can people see your work online or in person?

You can see my work on my website, CaseyArt.com, where you can also sign up for my twice-a-month blog “Breath of Salt Air” with new paintings, a short note about the sea, and invitations to shows. My newest pieces are also on Instagram at @CaseyChalemAnderson, an easy way to follow along.

In person, my work is at George Billis Gallery in New York City and Fairfield, Connecticut, Kramoris Gallery in Sag Harbor, and Seagreen Designs in Southampton.

Do you have anything to add?

I feel grateful to be part of a community of artists who draw strength and inspiration from the East End. This place shapes all of us in subtle and profound ways. Whether I am painting tranquil water or the energy of ocean waves, my goal is the same. If I can translate the feeling of that moment and someone senses it too, then I have succeeded in sharing what truly moves me.