Anson Gagnier
9th Grade, Tupper Lake High School
The Casagrain Gallery is located at 68 Park Street in Tupper Lake. It is operated solely by the efforts of Gary and Barb Casagrain, who are the heart 
and sole of the business. They were kind enough to meet with me about their gallery. There are many things that will surprise you about the Casagrain Gallery!
Ever since Gary was in high school in Tupper Lake, he has been selling his paintings. For Gary, though, painting is just one aspect of his business. He enjoys the conversations and explaining his work. He even writes a piece about each painting. The couple also make their own giclee canvas prints, which takes up most of their time. Barb works on the frames for the paintings. They started by working from their house and the gallery attached to it thirty years ago. It opened at its current location on Park Street in 2007. This location was the perfect move for them. There are a limited number of windows, so the light will not interfere with the paintings.
Gary’s artwork is sold exclusively from the gallery. Some of the business is local, but people from all over come into the gallery to admire and purchase the paintings. The paintings are geared toward all audiences. In fact, schools and colleges even come to his gallery on field trips! The subject matter of the paintings are of a wide range, and people often ask if there is more than one artist displayed in the gallery. Gary used to be known as mainly a wildlife artist, but he has expanded his range of subjects. There are paintings for all sorts of different tastes.
For Gary, there is a lot more to a painting than people may realize. He feels that there is a definite relationship between art and music. The same 
things that make a great art piece make a music piece great. You have to have balance in both. You need a contrast of soft notes and loud notes, just as you need soft colors and colors that pop out. One day a professor at Julliard, a world-renowned music school, came into the gallery. At the time, Gary and Barb had no idea who the customer was. He started talking with Gary about his paintings and hte similarities between art and music. Gary then showed him a piece of his writing about this relationship. The professor was very impressed and brought his wife back the next day to see the gallery and the piece Gary had written. He even asked for a copy. Gary and the professor remain in touch today.
More than the commercial aspects of the gallery, Gary wants people to know that he ver much enjoys conversing with people about art and music. People are welcome to stop in and check out his new work. The gallery is unique in Tupper Lake. Take some timei to stop in, it’ll be worth it!
