Casey Murano: Returning To Water

Artist Statement: RETURNING TO WATER is a collection of drawings and paintings inspired by rivers in my watershed, including the Roanoke, James, Mississippi, and Greenbrier Rivers. Pilgrimage to local waterways has been a steady part of my creative process since Spring 2020. During the pandemic, painting at a nearby creek became a spiritual practice that deepened my connection with watersheds I call home. Early experiments included plein air watercolor, abstract oil, and pulp paper paintings. More recently, I’ve been making colored pencil, crayon, and mixed media drawings on
both small and large scale papers. The fluid shapes that weave through these different pieces embody the rhythmic, continuous, interconnected flow of water that I also experience in the daily rhythms of work and community life in a watershed context. Through these drawings and paintings, I practice the art of being a pilgrim who engages attentively with local places. One of my guides is Annie Dillard’s classic novel “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek." Over the seasons of a year in the Roanoke Valley, she shares a journey of learning how to see deeply alongside the water, making room to hold the tensions of beauty and violence inherent in nature. She bears witness to the joy and challenges of the particular ecosystem, recognizes her place within the web of life, and welcomes each encounter with intense wonder. Like the Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, I allow myself to be transformed by observing and responding to the water
that sustains us