Jack Cassinetto

Jack Thomas Cassinetto (March 26, 1944 - January 4, 2018, Sonora, California) was a prolific California plein air artist of the tonalism movement who painted primarily Northern California landscapes such as Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, the Gold Country, the Northern California Coast, and the American River and Sacramento River.

Personal life

Cassinetto was born on March 26, 1944, in Sonora, California, to Ben and Mary Sardella Cassinetto, both scions of pioneering families from Genoa, Italy. In 1966, he earned his BA in Art and English from California State University, Sacramento. He earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Northern Colorado in 1972.

Aside from being an artist, he had multiple occupations throughout his life, including that of being a commodities broker, a partner in the family business, a teacher, a Sonora City Councilman and Mayor of Sonora (1986-1994).

Career Too many artists get seduced by sunlight and have to continually adjust for light variations. The lighting conditions in [my studio] are perfect. It never changes from day to night. I always know the color on the canvas is what I want it to be. —Jack CassinettoJack Cassinetto was a plein air painter of the tonalism movement, "one of the finest artists of his time and genre." His influences included Granville Redmond, Xavier Martinez, Gottardo Piazzoni and Arthur Frank Mathews. Claypoole - Freese Gallery, James Harold Galleries, Clars Auction Galleries, The Craftsman Galleries, Thomas Reynolds Gallery, The Marine Gallery, The Main Gallery, Gregory Kondos Art Gallery, and First Street Galleries.

Cassinetto's work has been featured in publications including American Art Review (2004), Plein Air Magazine (June 2004), Southwest Art (October 2002), American Bungalow, and The Artists' Bluebook (2005). His work has been displayed at the Pacific Grove Art Institute (1995), San Joaquin Delta College (2008), Pasadena Historical Museum (2000) and the Alburquerque Museum (2003, 2004, 2005).