Artist, teacher and longtime Rustic Canyon resident Dorothea Casady died on May 25, bringing to an end a long and, literally, illustrative career. She was 96. Dorothea was born in Texas and raised an only child in Oklahoma by a single mother and a ‘strong Danish grandmother.’ Introduced to art early by her talented young mom, also an artist and teacher, she became renowned as a local painter in her teens and was teaching art at Classen High School by the time she was 22. Later she established and headed the first art department at the University of Oklahoma. Dorothea and her mother made annual trips to Europe on steamer ships to study art during summer break. Later, they traveled to Taos and Santa Fe, New Mexico, where they painted the scenery and mixed with local artists such as Ila McAffe, Oscar Jacobson and A.C. Blue Eagle. She was accepted as an art fellow at the prestigious MacDowell Colony in Peterborough, New Hampshire in 1942. She met fellow Oklahoman, puppeteer and marionette-maker Richard Casady in 1940 and three years later they moved to Los Angeles, where they were wed by Richard’s father, Episcopal bishop Thomas Casady. Richard studied medicine at USC and eventually specialized in psychiatry with a private practice in Westwood. During World War II, Dorothea taught camouflage painting techniques for the Army while Dick interned at Fort Sill Army hospital in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The Casadys lived in Brentwood before settling in Pacific Palisades in 1959, when they built their modern glass and beam home in Rustic Canyon on one of the last available lots. In 1965, while exhibiting her sculpture at Ankrum Gallery on La Cienega, Dorothea met an entrepreneur who recruited her to design sculptures for reproduction. This relationship with Artisan House lasted for the next 41 years; she was still getting assignments from them in February of this year. She also taught a weekly art class at her home studio until early this year. Dorothea lost her husband in 1974. She raised two artistic sons who have been creative in animation, jewelry, photography, illustration and computers. Robin (of Carmel) has published software for Macintosh and Chris (of Silverlake) has worked in special effects on many Hollywood movies. Dorothea was a founding member and first president of the Los Angeles Bead Society. She was also an active member of the Craft and Folk Art Museum, which will host a memorial service to celebrate her life on Saturday, August 5 at 2 p.m. in her garden at 734 Brooktree Rd. Please R.S.V.P. to 454-5218.
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