Dec. 10, 2001 – The artwork of St. Thomas painter Julie Cassinelli will be featured at the next Alexander's Cafe exhibition, which opens Friday with a meet-the-artist reception.
Cassinelli, a St. Thomas resident since 1988, was born in Canberra, Australia, and grew up in New York. She received a bachelor of fine arts degree in apparel design in 1983 from The Rhode Island School of Design and describes herself as largely self-taught in watercolor and acrylic painting and pencil drawing.
At Alexander's she will be exhibiting a selection of acrylics that include Italian landscapes painted after a trip to Europe last summer, tropical island seascapes and some large abstracts "inspired by the colors of the ocean."
In 1994, Cassinelli took first place in the watercolor category of the 6th annual Caribbean Colour fine art exhibition, presented at the Old Stone Farmhouse by the St. Thomas-St. John Arts Council. The exhibition opening Friday will be her first solo show.
For much of her recent work, Cassinelli says, her objective has been "to evoke a sense of tranquility and calmness — taking the viewer into a dreamlike and soothing place." That's hardly a surprising aspiration for the mother of three active daughters. But Cassinelli also says her own "inspiration and energy" for producing art these days comes from her three daughters, Olivia, Sophia and Julia, and her husband, Sebastiano.
The opening reception, from 5 to 7 p.m., will feature complimentary hors d'oeuvres, a champaign toast and door prizes to include dining certificates, wine and a piece of art by Silvia Kahn, the artist currently featured at Alexander's. The public is invited.
Cassinelli's paintings will hang through Jan. 10. The current showof Kahn's work will come down on Tuesday. Reservations for dinner after the reception may be made by calling 774-4349.
