Students were captivated by the lifelike watercolor landscapes and seascapes displayed in Pace University’s Choate House art gallery on Nov. 12 during the opening of Professor Mark Cassata’s latest show.

The majority of paintings displayed are of real life locations. With the exception of his figure paintings, Cassata rarely paints settings of unfamiliar subjects.

His landscape portraits use contrasting tones to emphasize shadows, depths, and space, which contribute in giving the scene realistic qualities. His seascapes use softer, warm tones, suggesting a serene atmosphere.

Pace student Carla Ferreira was especially fond of Cassata’s work. As a writer, Ferreira said she always has the intention of creating something that will make audiences feel something, whether it’s an emotion, or the triggering a memory. Ferreira believes Cassata was able to accomplish that through his paintings.

“I think that regardless of the type of art, the objective of the artist is to evoke an emotion,” Ferreira said. “And I think that these paintings definitely do a good job of that.”

Cassata’s father was a classically trained, European portrait artist and worked in the film industry for 30 years as a hair and makeup artist. Art was present in Cassata’s life since childhood, and began painting at a young age.

Though he was traditionally trained in oil paint, circumstance led Cassata to his introduction to watercolors. He and his wife were living in a small apartment shortly after they were married. He had no room to complete large oil paintings so he began dabbing watercolor on paper.

“At first it was frustrating,” said Cassata, who added that he had to work on improving his skills with watercolor, a skill he honed while living in California.

Cassata’s talent became clear after much practice and the study of English watercolor masters, such as Alexander Cozens. His work also resembles that of American landscape painter Winslow Homer.

“I like his work,” said Cassata, when describing Homer. “It’s both delicate and rugged. A lot of people think watercolor is a feminine medium. Homer is a strange balance between delicacy and boldness.”

Cassata has worked in Pace University for 28 years and continues to teach art courses.

Ferreira and other students are happy that both students and teachers such as Cassata are able to share their talents for our enjoyment. They wish to see more art galleries in the future.

“What I love most about art is that you can stay so much without actually saying anything,” Ferreira said. “It’s nice to be able to appreciate the talent of someone from our school’s community.”