Marilyn Cassidy

Marilyn Cassidy is an artist and art instructor who lives in Houston, Texas. She was born in Chicago and began painting as a student at Northern Illinois University. In the early 1980's. Cassidy moved to Houston, Texas where she earned her BFA at the University of Houston. While studying at the University of Houston, her works were featured in several student exhibitions in the Blaffer Gallery. Cassidy’s first solo exhibition was held in the University’s Small Projects Gallery. Her early paintings are dark and quiet. They are expressive with a delicate luminosity that commands attention. When asked about her subject matter, Cassidy says that the subject matter is pure and complex emotion. The colors and lines move in and out of the illusionary space of the canvas, evoking memories of emotion that are unique to the viewer. It is much like the visual equivalent of the sound of a bow being pulled slowly across the strings of a cello. Everyone responds differently because our emotions are colored by the circumstances and events in our lives.For several years after graduating she showed her work in various juried and non-juried group exhibitions. As Cassidy was emerging as a new artist, she entered the education arena. Upon receiving her certification in art education, she began teaching in Houston’s public school system. Her students, many of them children of immigrants and refugees. “Through art we understand each other, a language that spans the world and time. It is amazing to see how children connect their active visual language with their experiences, hopes, and dreams. It was a necessary move, and I learned a lot during this time about the visual arts, my work, and myself. Working with children and understanding visual art as a basic language, gives me a very different perspective on our common visual language. Words are limiting when it comes to expressing the complexity of emotion." During this period, she began printmaking and produced a short film titled, Silence. She continued to paint and sell her work from her studio.Today, Marilyn Cassidy is actively painting again. Her work is strong and confident. Cassidy says that painting is an utterly sensual, holistic experience, “...because I work large, painting is a whole body experience; I dance with the canvas.” No longer dark and foreboding, the new works have an air of playfulness. The elusive luminosity of her early work, has now come to the fore. The flashes of color and light tease the viewers with subtle mischief, demanding their attention.She has bridged the present with her past, and her future. Marilyn Cassidy the artist, like Marilyn Cassidy the person, has come full circle.