Article By: Zak Lodhi
Paintings That Begin in Light
For artist Casonti McClure, creativity has always been a natural part of life.
Born and raised in a household deeply connected to the arts, she grew up surrounded by galleries, studios, and exhibitions. Her parents were both artist-educators, and their dedication to creative practice shaped the environment in which she was raised. Her mother was one of the founding members of the Southern Arizona Designer Craftsmen, a respected organization supporting fine craft artists throughout the region. As a result, McClure spent much of her childhood attending art shows, visiting studios, and observing artists at work. Exposure to the broader art world was equally important in her upbringing. Museum exhibitions, cultural events, and even international gatherings such as a world craft conference in Ireland formed part of her early experiences.
These encounters helped cultivate an appreciation for artistic expression in many forms and laid the groundwork for the creative path she would eventually follow. As a child, McClure was naturally shy, and her mother encouraged her to explore improvisational dance classes to build her confidence. Interestingly, her instructor initially noticed that she seemed more captivated by visual art than by movement. Yet over time, dance became a powerful outlet for expression. What began as an experiment gradually transformed into a lifelong passion. McClure pursued that passion seriously, eventually earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from the University of Arizona and establishing herself as a professional dancer. Dance offered a language of movement, rhythm, and emotion that resonated deeply with her. But her artistic journey did not stop there. Always curious about how creative disciplines intersect, she expanded her education by earning a Master of Fine Arts in Theatrical Costume Design. The study of costume brought together visual design, storytelling, and performance, further broadening her artistic perspective.
Alongside her work in the arts, McClure also felt a strong desire to teach. After obtaining certification in Art Education, she fulfilled her long-held goal of teaching dance in the public school system. For many years, she shared her knowledge and enthusiasm with students, encouraging them to discover their own creative voices through movement. Following her retirement from teaching, McClure found herself returning once again to the act of creating. This time, however, the medium was different. Enrolling in an abstract painting class opened the door to an entirely new artistic language. What she discovered was that the principles that guided her work in dance could translate seamlessly onto canvas. Today, McClure approaches painting as a continuation of choreography. Rather than bodies moving through space, it is pigment, texture, and color that carry the motion. Her compositions explore rhythm, flow, and balance, echoing the structure of contemporary dance. In recent years, her work has focused on translating the physical and emotional dynamics of dance into visual form.
Through layered color, expressive brushwork, and shifting movement across the canvas, McClure creates paintings that suggest motion even as they remain still. For McClure, painting offers a unique freedom. On stage, dancers must contend with gravity, physical limits, and the fleeting nature of performance. On canvas, however, movement can exist indefinitely. Color can leap, swirl, and drift across the surface without restriction. She describes the painting process much as she would a contemporary dance performance unfold. Through the interplay of color, dimension, and motion, each composition develops its own mood and emotional tone. The finished work becomes a visual choreography, inviting viewers to experience movement in new ways.
The result is what McClure describes as a dance that never ends. Captured in pigment and texture, the energy of movement remains preserved on the canvas, allowing viewers to return to it again and again. Each painting becomes both a moment and a memory of motion, an expression of rhythm, feeling, and creative exploration.
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