In the 10/28/2026 edition:
By casey on Oct 23, 2026 03:02 pm
Jumbo Advancing Wave 48 x 72 oil/canvas by Casey Chalem Anderson View From The Bridge, Oil on wood, 24in x 24in When Shannon Wiley of Sea Green Designs phoned and asked, “Would you want to have your paintings in a film?” my first response was, “Well, what kind of film?” My mind raced through the possibilities: student film, porn film. I needed a little more information before picturing my paintings on the big screen. The connection began with a six-by-four-foot ocean wave. Shannon had selected it for above the fireplace at the Hamptons Design House, and images of that installation were on her website. That’s where the set designers found it. Which is how they found me. I’ve been focusing on larger canvases. At that scale, a painting can shift the atmosphere of a whole room. The project turned out to be “Women Like Us,” the upcoming Netflix film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Vivica A. Fox, Vanessa Williams, and Jennifer Lewis, with Michelle Obama as an executive producer. When I spoke with the set designer, she asked if I had other paintings. I sent images, and she said, “I think we want to take all of them.” Ultimately, they rented nine of my paintings for the production at the Pridwin Hotel on Shelter Island. Renting work for a film was entirely new to me. A few days later I was invited to come check out the set. A man with an earpiece directed me to park at the bottom of the hill, parallel to the raging steel-grey water churned up with whitecaps. A nor’easter was brewing and the evidence was here. I held on to my hat as I made my way to the hotel entrance. The first thing I saw was one of my large wave paintings against a forest green wall. Inside, a hubbub of activity filled the air. People were opening boxes, unpacking, taping things. Everyone seemed to know their job, working together in a coordinated and focused way. I was surprised by how many people it took to bring the set together. None of the stars were there during my visit. I met the set designer and an art director, both welcoming and genuinely enthusiastic about the paintings. Hearing that felt wonderful. My contact told me to wander, so I spent about forty-five minutes soaking it in. Some of my paintings were already hanging, but at one point I looked up and saw that “View from the Bridge”, had been moved to a wall while I was there. That Towd Point view, salt marshes, and water took its place in a new setting. It became part of someone else’s story. What struck me was the care; nothing felt casual. Everything within the camera’s view seemed chosen to help tell the story. It was a thrill to see my work shape the feeling of being by the sea. I can’t wait to see the finished film and discover how the paintings appear on screen. These paintings carry the sea indoors, its shifting light and quiet force. They hold a sense of presence that draws us back to the shoreline again and again. Warmly, Casey
Read in browser »
 
| 
