Conroy Marsh, 1964

Roberts Gallery, Toronto Private Collection, Ontario

A large wetland situated in Renfrew County, Ontario, Conroy Marsh is accessible by boat, kayak or canoe and offers a variety of secluded areas perfect for artists to capture the landscape. With its rocky hills flanking the shorelines of the Little Mississippi and York Rivers, before they merge and empty into the Madawaska River at Negeek Lake, the environment offers rich opportunity for artistic inspiration. For Casson, it was a veritable cornucopia of complex environments, foliage and vistas to translate into his engaging paintings. Rounding the corner of a beaten down path in “Conroy Marsh”, the viewer looks onto a winding stream and dramatic hillside rendered in contrasting autumnal rust tones amidst the mossy green surroundings. Using fresh light blue pigments, the sky is light and bright, with rounded stylized clouds rolling in to give drama to the composition. On Casson’s work, Paul Duval wrote: “he has the ability to crystallize a moment, to make concrete and eternal the passing vision. It is as though the time-machine has suddenly ceased to function, in a world where the wind had stopped breathing and the shadows no longer moved and every blade of glass and cloud were fixed forever.” Favouring this muted but fresh colour palette, Casson’s distinguished style captures the serene isolation of the environment and the natural beauty of the remote Ontario locale.