Kay Cassill, a celebrated artist and writer, died peacefully on Oct. 12, 2024 at her home in Truro as the sun rose on a spectacular autumn day — as she might have called it, “A.B.D.I.T., Another Beautiful Day in Truro.” She was just weeks shy of her 94th birthday.
Even in her final days, Kay remained active and engaged, planning to attend the funeral of a dear friend and former sorority sister. Her son Orin was by her side during her final moments. Her mind was sharp, and her spirit vibrant, he said, reflecting a life lived with passion and purpose.
The daughter of Everett and Arnolda Adams, Kay was born in Des Moines, Iowa on Nov. 1, 1930. As an identical twin, she shared a special bond with her sister, Marilyn, a connection that deeply influenced her life and work.
After graduating from North High School in Des Moines in 1949, where she and Marilyn co-edited their class yearbook, Kay studied English at the University of Iowa’s Writers’ Workshop, graduating with honors, but she soon found her true calling in the visual arts. After college, she immersed herself in the vibrant art scene of Greenwich Village, mingling with avant-garde painters who shaped her artistic vision.
Kay’s passion for art took her to Paris for postgraduate studies at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière. Her European journey included time in Bandol on the Riviera and travels to Carrara, Florence, and Rome, where she married the artist and writer Ronald Verlin Cassill in 1956.
Upon returning to the U.S., she continued her artistic development at the New School in New York and later at the University of Iowa with printmaker Mauricio Lasansky and painter James Lechay. A dedicated lifelong learner, she also participated in workshops with Karen Blackwood, Donna Zagotta, and Mel Stabin.
Known for her intense focus on ideas and love of mystery, Kay was a studio painter deeply rooted in Figurative Expressionism. Her work spanned various mediums, including oil, watermedia on Yupo, and intaglio prints. She was celebrated for capturing the human figure with bold and expressive assurance, often drawing inspiration from mythology, memories, and everyday life.
“I am a Studio Painter,” Kay wrote on her website. “I concentrate on Ideas. And I love mystery. My passion has been to capture the human figure and gesture in drawings.” About her drawings, one critic commented: “Cassill draws with a bold and probing assurance. Her conceptions have a certain dreamy savagery that goes quite beyond daydream prettiness. Even when she draws a stuffed bird she is not fooling.”
Kay was a signature member of the Michigan Watercolor Society, Northwest Watercolor Society, and Illinois Watercolor Society, and her art has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including shows in Oslo, Norway and across the U.S.
Her works are part of permanent collections at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the University of Iowa Art Museum, and the Springfield Museum of Art in Missouri.
Kay wrote several books and numerous articles. Her book Twins: Nature’s Amazing Mystery (1982) explores the biological, psychological, and emotional aspects of twinship, shedding light on the profound connections and mysteries that define this special relationship.
“A certain uneasiness, or ambivalence, has always attended twin or multiple births,” wrote a reviewer for Kirkus Reviews. Kay’s book addresses the many levels of that uneasiness comprehensively and fearlessly, including “the possibility that mirror-image twins (right- and left-handed, or even with reversed organ positions) are twins who just escaped being Siamese, that many singletons are really the survivors of twin pregnancies during which, somehow, the other twin vanished.”
Kay’s family and friends remember her warmth, wisdom, and the joy she brought into their lives. When they gather in her Truro house, surrounded by her and Verlin’s artwork, they celebrate the legacy of a woman of uncommon creativity and love. They trust that her spirit will continue to inspire and live on in the many hearts she touched.
Kay is survived by her children, Orin Cassill of Saline, Mich., Jesse Cassill of Sarasota, Fla., and Erica Cassill Wood of Saline, Mich.; her grandchildren, Will Wood of Austin, Texas, Ben Wood of Chicago, Ill., and Honora Gills, Michaela Visovatti, Nick Wood, Luke Wood, Jessica Wood, and Zach Wood, all of Saline, Mich; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Kay was predeceased by her husband, R.V. Cassill, and by her twin sister, Marilyn Holmes.
A memorial service was held at Nickerson Funeral Home in Orleans on Oct. 17, 2024. Another memorial service will be held in Saline, Mich. at a date to be determined.
