Local Artist Sean Cassidy Digs Art

Local artist Sean James Cassidy has received an outstanding recognition by being invited to join the Australian Wa­tercolour Institute (AWi). His nomination and subsequent induction, was a unani­mous decision by the Institute based on the quality of his work.

At the AWi’s recent exhibition, Brushes with History, held at Lion’s Gate Lodge at the Royal Botanical Gardens Sydney, Sean sub­mitted a painting titled Melodies of Wo­ven Light which he was delighted to sell. This art work and the materials used to create it were entirely made by Sean. The paper was handmade from a vari­ety of recycled products and included wood powder from the Paperbark tree. Kangaroo fur from the local area was also incorporated to strengthen the pa­per and to include some DNA from the Central West.

Sean used three colours in his work and made each of them. One colour was created from beetroot juice, purple car­rot juice and red wine and produced a paint throwing hues of magenta, ame­thyst and lilac. The yellow was made by crushing local ochre rock and adding turmeric. The white was also a crushed local rock. The binder used to set the colour to the paper was a mixture of Cootamundra Wattle sap, homemade vinegar and locally-sourced honey. This latest recognition for Sean has come after a recent cultural exchange with the Archaeology Faculty at the University of The Philippines. He was hosted by Alfred Galvez, a friend with whom Sean set up an art school and while Sean is no longer an owner, the school Galvez Atelier is flourishing and has connections with both the New York and Florence Art Academies. Sean is very proud of Alfred’s achievements and his philosophy of offering opportunities in art across all socio-economic groups. 

During his visit, Sean was invited to view museums and galleries, in the process of being built, to house the country’s important archaeological collections from Colonial and Pre-colonial history and to speak on the article co-written with Kerrie Peden, Excavating Bridges for Future Streams. 

Based on Sean’s previous contributions to exhibitions at the university, he was invited to study an intensive course in understanding the discipline of archaeology, to participate in skill sharing with doctoral student Mr Timothy James Vitales and to accompany a group of archaeologists on two expeditions. 

He was also asked to conceptualise an exhibition based on the expeditions’ findings, in collaboration with the National Museum of The Philippines and National Geographic. This project, Puliran, is to examine an ancient copper tablet discovered near Laguna Lake in the southern Luzon region. The tablet is covered in an unknown text and archaeologists plan to begin another dig in the area in an attempt to discover further clues to the tablet’s origin and the people who created it. Sean has also been asked to create programs in 2024 to help build ties between the local community and the archaeologists. 

In the future, Sean will be using the knowledge gained to explore his Celtic history through its patterns and iconography. He intends to study in Northern Ireland while researching his convict ancestry and plans to have his findings complete in time for the International Cassidy reunion in Enniskillen in 2025.