Rockingham Road, 1968

Private Collection, Toronto

Hubert De Santana, ‘A Painter’s Life: A.J. Casson looks back on 60 years at the easel’, “Canadian Art” (Spring 1985), pages 64-69

As a professional working designer, A.J. Casson often took his painting trips within the boundaries of Ontario on weekends, visiting rural and remote areas of the province. Whereas some of his Group colleagues travelled across Canada on extensive sketching trips, Casson was more limited to Ontario and nearby areas of Quebec given the realities of his career and family. He also stated: “I love travelling, but I can’t paint in a strange place. So why run all over?” As a result, Casson produced an extensive catalogue of works documenting the Ontario landscape and the unique personalities of each town, village, and hamlet he visited. He would paint a single location repeatedly at different times of day and in different seasons, becoming intimately familiar with the subject matter. By the 1960s, Casson had recently retired from Sampson-Matthews and was finally able to paint on a full-time basis. His strong design background shaped a unique painting style characterized by graceful lines and carefully considered compositions. "Rockingham Road" depicts a detailed view of a mountaintop with grassy and rocky slopes, a dense forest, and a sky of swirling clouds in Casson’s signature angular lines.