SmithKlein Gallery (www.smithklein.com), Boulder’s finest contemporary art gallery, is proud to present the work of painter Bruce Cascia. Cascia received his BFA from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, and paints in a photo-realistic style, mostly using oils and occasionally acrylics. 

SmithKlein Gallery spoke with Cascia recently about his artwork, training, inspiration, and technique. He says, “I like painting nostalgic imagery. The more challenging something is, the more intrigued with it I am.” 

“I like painting metallic objects, reflections, bright colored compositions,” he continues.

His initial images were of solitary diners, truck-stops, and motorcycles all placed in dramatic vistas of the American southwest. They call to mind the romance of the vast open spaces and the freedom of the open road. Eight of Bruce's bike paintings were included in the opening of the Field Museum's "Art of the Motorcycle" show in Chicago.

Referring to his technique, Cascia notes, “most of the time I paint from a photograph, but I've done watercolors on location. They lend themselves to quick completion, so that you're done before the light changes.”

Complementing his nostalgic images is a tendency toward historic preservation. “I've been painting Chicago Hot Dog Stands for a while, a lot of them have been torn down. I'm trying to preserve them on canvas”

“I always liked drawing. As a kid, I thought, if I could draw a dollar bill and change the denomination I could be rich. I practiced for weeks then my dad told me I could go to jail for counterfeiting. I turned my talents toward school bulletin boards,” Cascia reflects.

Before completing his BFA, the artist was “pretty much self taught. At twelve years old I took my first oil painting class at the local Y. I painted from art history books checked out from the library to learn different techniques”

In addition to the bikes and diner imagery, Cascia has a series of “dogs in pick-ups.” Inspired by small town Main Street, the artist allows the personality of each subject to emerge through his paintings. His work has a whimsical quality that makes each painting amusing as well as unique.

Cascia's work is included in a number of corporate art collections such as Oscar-Mayer, DDB Needham Worldwide, and Pearlnesco, as well as the private collections of Jay Leno, Dennis Hopper, and Peter Fonda.

SmithKlein Gallery, located on Boulder’s historic Pearl Street Mall, is in its thirtieth year of business under the same ownership. The gallery proudly presents emerging and mid-career contemporary artists in an eclectic range of styles and media. For more information, call 303.444.7200, email info@smithklein.com, or visit www.smithklein.com.