Casey Chalem Anderson Discusses Her First Dan's North Fork Cover

This week, 12-time Dan’s Papers cover artist Casey Chalem Anderson discusses her first Dan’s North Fork cover, upcoming shows and what inspires her to paint on both forks of the East End.

A Conversation with Casey Chalem Anderson

Tell me about this painting. Where is it?

This painting is from my 36 Views of Towd Point series, a special collection that celebrates the stunning sandy peninsula along North Sea Harbor — a place where time feels frozen. I always imagine looking out 200 years ago and seeing the exact same view.

In 1970, my father bought a modest beach house overlooking Towd Point’s two fragile land spits, which nearly touch, separated by a narrow channel for boats coming in and out of North Sea Harbor. This Southampton spot is deeply tied to my life as an artist. I’ve soaked in its salty air, studied the brilliant water and sky, and felt that vulnerable tug when tides rise and flood the road.

Three decades later, its pull is stronger than ever.

This is your first Dan’s North Fork cover and 13th Dan’s Papers cover over all. That’s pretty amazing! Can you share a bit of the story about how you first got your work on the cover of Dan’s?

When I first moved to the Hamptons, I was already a serious artist, fresh out of the UC Berkeley art program, where I studied under some of the most renowned Bay Area figure painters. Naturally, I painted the figure, too.

I was so impressed that Dan’s Papers featured full-color art on their covers — it showed they really cared about art. One day, I gathered my courage and walked into their original Bridgehampton office. I asked to speak with the office manager and innocently asked how someone gets their art on the cover. She sternly replied, “We have famous people on our covers.” Gulp. I turned away, holding back tears, and drove straight to the ocean.

A couple of days later, I was on the Hampton Jitney to the city — sitting right next to Dan (Rattiner) himself. We chatted, and I showed him a postcard of one of my paintings. He looked at it and said, “I like this. I’d like to put it on the cover.”

I was on Cloud 9.

Have you painted anything on the North Fork? If so, what? If not, have you considered it?

I love going to the North Fork, hopping on the ferry is a calming escape. I’ve painted some of the farm stands like Latham Farm and Sep’s. On a few occasions I’ve painted the “Lavender By the Bay” fields, an incredible sensory experience. I’d love to paint there more.

What draws you to a place or makes you feel compelled to paint it?

After living here on the East End for over three decades, I feel like I’ve absorbed the sea and landscape, it’s a part of me. I know it deeply and yet there is always something new to see, something new to discover.

I never tire of looking out to see what’s happening on the water. I look out to the bay and white caps tell me which jacket to grab on my way out. Changes are happening every hour, in every season. There are times I can hardly believe that the colors I’m seeing are real. I observe sea colors of shimmering sapphire blue with streaks of lavender where pink/gold slivers of light dazzle. Sunsets and sunrises are euphoric, I’ve learned to tune into the moon cycle.

Can you talk about your latest projects and any upcoming shows?

I have a big show of my oil paintings coming up at the George Billis Gallery in Fairfield, Connecticut, from January 14 to February 22.

Next, I’m working on a show of North Sea-inspired artworks at the North Sea Community House on May 25. This event will benefit the renovation of the North Sea Maritime Center — formerly the Tupper Boathouse — right on the water near Conscience Point. The center will celebrate Southampton’s maritime heritage with educational and recreational programs, including wooden boat-building classes and environmental studies.

North Sea is especially close to my heart. My dad had a modest summer home there, and it’s where I fell in love with the East End before deciding to move here full time.

The chance to share this sense of wonder and history through my work ignites me, especially with my painting series, 36 Views of Towd Point. These pieces capture the timeless beauty of the area and explore its rich past and present, holding a very special place in my heart.

Where else can people find your work?

I show regularly at Kramoris Gallery, (41 Main Street, Sag Harbor). I also work with designer Shannon Wiley at her sea-inspired shop, Seagreen Designs (68 Jobs Lane) in Southampton, where my paintings are displayed alongside coastal, beach-inspired furniture that’s modern, sophisticated, and elegantly relaxed — so you can picture how they’d look in your space.”

Casey Chalem Anderson is a New Yorker turned Sag Harbor artist who creates paintings for people who love the water and crave the calm of the sea. Now a 13-time Dan’s Papers cover artist, her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Southampton Press and the Sag Harbor Express. Follow her on Instagram and subscribe to her free blog, Breath of Salt Air, for bi-monthly beach moments straight to your inbox at caseyart.com.