Art Exhibition: SEASONS: Pastels by Katie Cassidy

The Historic Odessa Foundation is delighted to present in the Visitor Center the colorful pastel drawings by the talented Easton, Maryland artist Katie Cassidy.  Katie is well known for her light filled impressions of flowers and landscapes while she maintains that she sees paintings in everyday life.

In her colorful pastels and fresh oil paintings, Katie Cassidy captures the world around her with an enthusiasm that began in childhood classes at Washington D.C.'s Corcoran Gallery. That early education taught her to look at the world through an artistic lens, a skill she now uses to help aspiring artists do the same. Cassidy’s passion for both pastels and oils is rivaled only by the dedication to her students at the Academy Art Museum in Easton, on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, where she has taught for 18 years and been Director of the Adult Education program for 12.

Cassidy graduated with a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Maryland at College Park and spent her early years working in marketing for a graphic design firm in the Washington D.C. area. Her departure from commercial design to pursue fine art led her to Easton, where the landscape and people provided her with new inspiration. Cassidy frequently references the influences of Edouard Manet, Mary Cassatt, and Joachin Sorolla, and has travelled extensively to Ireland, Italy and France, as well as the American Southwest, where the land and people bring constant freshness to her art.

An award-winning artist, she is well known for her comprehensive knowledge of the basics and techniques of many mediums, especially charcoal, oil and pastel. She is a noted instructor of multiple art disciplines at the Academy Art Museum where her classes are consistently filled with eager students. In 2010, Cassidy was hired to write and manage the Adult Art curriculum at the Museum, overseeing 16 instructors and multiple classes.

Katie’s beloved husband and partner in art, Wallace McGarry, passed away in 2020 which has led her to a bold decision to uproot to Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she will live closer to family. Katie is excited about the journey ahead, with opportunities to explore a vastly new palette and draw upon the glorious Western light.

Plan to reconnect this spring with your local historical museum and become a member to help support all the wonderful educational activities that are offered at the museum complex.