Artist shows soldiers they are not 'Alone'
William Kastan is donating a painting in honor of the military
BY JENNIFER AMATO Staff Writer

"Alone"

NORTH BRUNSWICK - Although there is one solitary person in the picture, the painting will not be alone anymore.

William Kastan, a township resident, is donating his painting, "Alone," to the townshipMayor and Council in honor of all of the military personnel who have served our country.

"We have a lot of veterans, an awful lot of veterans, and they sort of float a little," he said. Kastan said he was inspired by the Civil War era in which mourners put down flowers in honor of their own soldiers that died, as well as northern soldiers that died down south.

However, he said, "What about 1776? What about now?"

He said the armed forces of every generation need recognition and respect, and that, "I felt that I didn't want justmen so I set up so itwould bemen andwomen,"which is the reason for the ambiguous person in his artwork, which will hang in the lobby of the municipal building.

Kastan is a veteran of the Korean War, serving with a Korean military advisory group, and is the chairman of the township's Memorial Day Parade Committee, the longest running tradition in town, which began in 1955.He said he feels very strongly about protecting the honor of the nation's veterans, especially in town.

"There's only a few left. That's the problem. We want more veterans to come out," he said. "You have to get them active. It's a very important thing for themto understand what's going on throughout the world and the country. I would like to help these people

feel good about what they're doing." Kastan, who has been named the Department of Parks & Recreation's Artist of the Month for March, will display his other paintings throughout the month. He has other pictures of men and women who are swirled with color.

He also paints scenery, using unusual color combinations, he said, to create imaginary shapes that resemble trees,mountains, rivers, canyons, the sky and other landscapes.

He also uses spirals and swirls to create images that aremore abstract, such as birds, fish, flowers and faces.

"I like to do things that are exciting tome where I can use the colors inmany different ways," he said.

Although he has tried using oil and some chalk, his 288 paintings are primarily done with acrylic paint. He said he takes a white board and starts painting "whatever comes to mind."

Kastan said his artistic ability dates back to his 40 years in the hosiery business designing socks. He then took evening art classes at the North Brunswick Township High School and local senior centers.He has won the Middlesex County Senior Citizen Art Contest four times.

He then branched out his talent to help children at the Chapin School, and he volunteers with the blind and the dyslexic.

"This gives [art] an interesting future," he said.

The future he wants, however, is to have an established art commission or organization in town.

"We should have people, and we should have a very large art group," he said.

Kastan's gallery can be viewed from8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday at the municipal building, located at 710 Hermann Road.

For more information, call (732) 247- 0922 ext. 475, or e-mail CLaBarbera@northbrunswickonline. com.