New Exhibition Features Intimate Look Into The Private Lives Of Strangers

The intimate stories and private lives of the strangers you pass every day have become the subject matter for "Lies Unsaid-Paintings by Cam DeCaussin," a new exhibition by Scottsdale Public Art at the Appaloosa Public Gallery, 7377 E. Silverstone Drive, Scottsdale.

Simple curiosity, or even voyeurism, is a profound and common dynamic in society. Concern, observation awareness, or pleasure can drive an intrinsic need to know. Like the deep thoughtfulness of the paintings of Edward Hopper, Cam DeCaussin's artwork is inspired by walks in ordinary neighborhoods, using the low light of evening, where each window transforms into a TV screen depicting an intimate story.

"There is an urge to flirt with voyeurism," DeCaussin said. "We all, to some degree, engage in it."

The paintings in this new exhibition are ambiguous and melancholic narratives of suburbia's strain toward isolation. DeCaussin says viewers will witness a world veiled by an idealistic domestic façade, yet the illuminated interior of the home is overcome with depression, anxiety and solitude.

"My initial inspiration stems from the loss of my father to suicide and the years-long process of comprehending what had occurred," DeCaussin said. "This has ultimately developed into a desire to look at each home I pass and find what is being left untold."

While painting each scene, the artist develops his own narrative, projecting onto it his struggles and thoughts and observing with sympathy the faint promise of being a presence in an anonymous life. Each work is a moment of reflection that benefits from the exhibition's appropriately quiet setting inside the Appaloosa Library.

Wendy Raisanen, curator of collections and exhibitions for Scottsdale Public Art, said DeCaussin's works has a lush and vibrant richness that immediately attracts the eye.

"When you get closer, the stories they hold bring a dark and poignant beauty," Raisanen said.

DeCaussin lives and works in Phoenix. He has a bachelor of fine art in illustration from Grand Valley State University in Michigan and a master of fine art in painting and drawing from Arizona State University. His work has been exhibited throughout Arizona, including the 2018 Arizona Biennial. DeCaussin has also shown in his work nationally and internationally, from Michigan and Ohio to China and Germany. His website is CamDeCaussin.com.

A free opening reception for "Lies Unsaid" will be held from 5-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, at the Appaloosa Library, 7377 E. Silverstone Drive, Scottsdale.

Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation will also host a free creative workshop associated with the exhibition at 1 p.m. Friday, Jan. 10, at the library. Participants in the workshop, titled Memories in Oil, will work alongside DeCaussin to paint a memory from their childhood or past. No prior experience is necessary, and supplies will be provided. For details about the reception or to RSVP to the workshop, visit ScottsdalePublicArt.org/Events.

"Lies Unsaid-Paintings by Cam DeCaussin" opened Monday, Dec. 2, and will run through Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. For more information about the exhibition and other exhibitions by Scottsdale Public Art, visit ScottsdalePublicArt.org/Exhibitions.

Through its partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed branches - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Learning & Innovation - serving more than 600,000 participants annually. In conjunction with the City of Scottsdale, we also host more than 200,000 people annually on our campus through a robust rentals program.

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