For 35 years, Charles Cassell designed buildings. Now, in retirement, he paints the ones worth remembering — and donates the work to make sure they aren't forgotten.

As an architect, watercolor artist, and historic preservationist, Charles Cassell today combines his passions with professional skills to give back. But it wasn’t until later in life that his watercolor talent blossomed. 

In architecture school, Cassell took a watercolor class and discovered he liked the medium very much. But after graduation, his three-year internship at Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill — followed by 35 years as a partner in Burnidge Cassell & Associates in Elgin — left him little time for painting. 

Retirement changed that. He dove in the way an architect might: reading books, watching videos, experimenting with technique. As his confidence grew, he began entering shows and getting accepted by galleries. After 50 years in Elgin with his wife Penny, the two moved to GreenFields in Geneva, which is where he does his painting.

The Cassells seek out historic homes in the Fox Valley, and do the same when they travel to visit their daughters in Kansas City, Houston, and Charlotte. When COVID hit and shut down travel, he was looking for a project and landed on the idea of a series. Initially he focused on streetscapes and historical buildings, then moved on to bridges. 

Acting on a desire to give back, Cassell partnered with the Geneva History Museum on a poster three years ago. From there, he built relationships with the Batavia and St. Charles museums. 

Then, about two years ago, he met with leaders of the Elgin History Museum and received a list of 60–70 historic houses. From those he selected 16 homes spanning the 1840s to the 1970s, each representing one of 11 different architectural styles. The museum now sells posters of these paintings.

Cassell starts by photographing the subject from multiple angles. After choosing the image he likes best, he uses a projection device to do a quick 15-minute sketch and lock in the proportions. 

Then the architectural training kicks in. Using T-squares, triangles, and mechanical pencils, he builds a detailed sketch with light lines he'll later rub away. Flat colors go down first, followed by layers of shading, shadow, texture, and siding. 

"My paintings reflect an interest in exploring the effects of natural light and the resulting shades and shadows," he said. 

Cassell considers them illustrations rather than fine art — but observers often disagree.

Cassell says he is "drawn to watercolor because it results in a fresh, crisp image that I find appealing." 

Unlike oil or acrylic, watercolor is transparent, and he controls the intensity of color by how much water he uses to dilute it. To prepare, he soaks special watercolor paper on a hard surface, stretching it so that as it dries, it pulls taut. 

Then come the layers. White areas are the paper itself; Cassell uses a neutral-tone masking fluid to protect them from surrounding colors. Some shadows call for rigid parallel lines, like those below the eaves of a roofline. Others, like the shadow cast by a tree, are softer. 

Either way, they all have to be painted at the same time to keep the lines from overlapping.

His artistic focus has narrowed as the community partnerships grow.

"My style has remained consistent over time, but I have recently focused my attention on documenting historic homes in partnership with local, Fox Valley history museums,” Cassell said. “Previously I was doing paintings of a wider range of subjects including landscapes." 

His earlier work often leaned expressionistic or abstract. Lately, he's after something more precise — a record of what these buildings look like while they're still standing.

Cassell believes in giving back to his community. 

"Having been a partner in an architectural firm in Elgin for 35 years, it was a very natural time to become involved in local, not-for-profit organizations,” he said. “My current involvement with local history museums is a continuation of my commitment to volunteerism."

He keeps the original paintings but donates the images to history museums and other nonprofits, which generate revenue by selling notecards and posters. It's a model that works for everyone. 

"My donations to nonprofits not only serve as a way for me to continue my commitment to volunteerism, but also result in opportunities to exhibit my work and/or generate publicity — often resulting in commissions,” he said.

Cassell has recently gotten involved in a community effort to save the historic Alexander Brothers Blacksmith Shop at the site of the former Mill Race Inn in Geneva. 

"The importance of the building is not its architectural significance, but as the first industry in the community," he said. "My contribution to the effort was to do a watercolor painting of the building as it might have looked in the 1830s. My painting and a scale model are being used to promote the efforts to preserve and restore the building."

He's also working on a larger undertaking: a series of paintings documenting every Kane County building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He hopes to complete as many as 42 paintings, eventually producing a large poster for sale at local history museums.

Over the past 25 years, Cassell has shown his work in galleries in Elgin and Galena and participated in numerous juried shows and community art fairs. His paintings hang on permanent display in private and public buildings across the region — including Elgin City Hall, the Kane County Government Building, Norris Cultural Arts Center in St. Charles, and GreenFields of Geneva. 

His work is also available online at Charles Cassell / Saatchi Art.

Art Explosion: On Saturday, May 2, you’ll have a chance to meet him in person. Cassell will be at the Geneva History Museum during the Geneva Art Explosion from 10AM to noon and again from 2PM to 4PM. 

Twenty-five original paintings of Geneva homes and buildings will be available for purchase, with 50% of the proceeds going to the Museum.

This piece was written by Ellen Jo Ljung, a longtime Geneva resident, author, award-winning educator, and glass artist. Visit her website to learn more.

Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] with questions or comments.

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