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Tonia Sassi's journey as an artist is shaped by the landscapes of her life and the layers of her own curiosity. Born in rural Lewistown, Pennsylvania, Sassi’s early years were marked by change as her family moved from Pennsylvania to New England, the Midwest, and the West Coast. These shifting geographies planted a fascination with a sense of place and mood that set her artistic path.
The defining spark for Sassi arrived at age fourteen, in a Spanish class, where a documentary on Picasso opened her to abstract painting. Her path didn’t unfold in a straight line. Sassi pursued social work and later a master’s degree in psychology, ultimately building a career as a licensed marriage and family therapist. Yet, the call to create remained ever present.
Sassi considers herself self taught. Her formal artistic training included a semester studying etching and printmaking in Italy. The printmaker’s technique of layering echos in her process. Individual paintings are scraped away to uncover vibrant under paintings of oil stick and acrylic paint, found objects, and hot or cold wax. She works on canvas, board, and on tar paper, using tools ranging from paint, crayons to a torch. The result is a lush interplay that invites the viewer to move between emotion and contemplation.
Her palette is bold, jeweled with color intended to evoke a visual impression and a sense of space or time. Drawing inspiration from the northern California landscape where she now lives, Sassi seeks minimalism and to immerse viewers in color. She names influences as Chagall, Picasso, and also the untamed honesty of children’s drawings.
Sassi exhibits primarily in Northern California. Her works have been shown at the Museum of Encaustic Art in New Mexico—where one painting now resides in the permanent collection—as well as the San Francisco Women’s Art Gallery, Petaluma Arts Center, Sebastopol Center for the Arts, Graton Gallery, and Petaluma Coffee and Tea. She is a member of the San Francisco Gallery of Women Artists and the Museum of Encaustic Art and Institute.
Viewers are drawn to Sassi’s dynamic and vibrant use of color, and the way her paintings evoke moods that can linger. Her dual practice as artist and therapist enriches each discipline—the emotional intelligence cultivated in therapy informs the depth of her abstract expression. For Sassi, art is an essential act of personal expression and a catalyst for connection and reflection.
Outside of the studio, Sassi gardens, spends time with family, and on the California coast. She sees art as a way to unify. “Art connects us,” she asserts, “to ourselves, our environment, and to each other.” Through color and texture, layer and light, Tonia Sassi’s work is an invitation to view, feel, and remember.