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Tonia Sassi's journey as an artist is shaped by the landscapes of her life. 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.
Sassi studied social work and later obtained a master’s degree in psychology, and is currently a licensed marriage and family therapist.
Sassi considers herself self taught. Her formal artistic training included time 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 tar paper, using tools ranging from paint and 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 the untamed honesty of children’s drawings.
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.”