We recently connected with Casey Deutsch and have shared our conversation below.

Casey, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

I was raised primarily by my mother. She worked multiple jobs to support the family, one of which was making and selling crafts. Her workshop was in the basement of our house and some of my earliest memories are of painting on scrap wood as she worked. As she tells it, I would envision animals out of abstractly-shaped pieces of wood, and paint them with the acrylic paints she used in her work. Once I got older, I was entrusted to paint the very blocks she would use for her crafts. In those foundational years, I learned a lot of valuable lessons about money sense, marketing, creative problem solving, and perseverance.

In school, I always gravitated to the arts. At some point in high school I realized I could do it for a living. I studied under my high school art teacher and made the decision to become the first person in my family to go to college. I was accepted to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania’s Art Education program and began my studies to become an art teacher. In the 10 years since, I have served with the Peach Corps in Ghana, West Africa where I taught vocational arts in a school for the deaf, moved out to Colorado, and taught in elementary and middle schools in Denver county.

When the pandemic began, I made the transition away from the classroom to build my business, High Alpine Designs. Since then, I have worked tirelessly to build connections in the local art community, develop my skills as a wood artist, and reconnect with my love for teaching art. I now teach full time in Littleton Public Schools in a high school setting and enjoy the balance of teaching youth and running my business during my free time.

Throughout all these years, I attribute much of my success to my mother. She has always been my biggest supporter and inspiration. I thank her for her tireless drive to support her family while ensuring I had the skills I needed to pursue my dreams.

Casey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

The work I produce through High Alpine Designs is made to celebrate the beauty of the natural world. At its core, all of my work is made from wood which is layered in pieces to create landscapes. I carve into each layer, handpaint each element with watered down acrylic paints, and sometimes add additional elements like moss, rocks, sticks, and epoxy to bring my landscapes to life.

I specialize in creating custom landscapes to suit the needs of any client. I enjoy the challenge of bringing each landscape to life and developing new techniques to increase the realism in my work.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, seeing a client’s reaction to a finished piece is the most rewarding part of my work. The custom pieces I create are deeply personal for my clients and it’s amazing to know each of my designs cab bring a little joy into someone’s life.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

During the pandemic, I saw society slow down and focus much more on how we interacted with the arts. Since the return to normalcy, people seem to have lost that time. I want to encourage people to make the conscious effort to either create art again, visit their local galleries and museums, or just have a look at the art hanging in a local coffee shop. Many creatives like myself need those spaces to help make a living and the experience of looking at art can have lasting positive effects on a person.

If you are interested in seeing my work in person, I will have my art on display at Green Mountain Beer Company through May, Zuni Street Brewing from May 8th through June 10th, and will be participating in the RiNo Showcase Music & Arts Festival this summer on July 17th and August 27th. I hope to see you there!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.highalpinedesigns.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/highalpinedesigns/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/highalpinedesigns

Image Credits
All photos are taken by myself, Casey Deutsch