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Lynn Cassinerio assembles together chipped and cracked fragments of antique china, pottery, and figurines into constructions that tell a story. The secrets and compelling history of each time-worn bit are given new meaning with the artist's take on "memoryware," a popular form of American folk art from the early 1900s in which women affixed their keepsakes to containers. With her functional teapots, cookie jars, vases, and other sculptural pieces, Cassinerio continues this fanciful tradition of artistic narrative. Born in San Francisco in 1958, Cassinerio has an extensive background in textiles and sculpted wall pieces. Her training as an artist began in seventh grade when she was sent to live in a convent for three years. One of the nuns had a giant ceramic studio, and Cassinerio spent most of her time there. A gift of a kiln a short time later cast her future in clay. The most important influence on Lynn Cassinerio's artwork is the subject she happens to be teaching at the time in her hands-on children's art history class. "It could be Baroque, Asian, Old World Italian, or the art of the circus," explains Cassinerio, "but whatever the topic, that is where I focus all my creative energies in order to capture the true essence of the art theme." With these shifting influences, she changes her materials. Grainy, dull green mortar binds together pieces with personal significance - the subdued tones, says Cassinerio, are contemplative and allow the importance of the individual tesserae to be fully appreciated. When evoking an entire culture or era, the overall impact of the piece is heightened with bright hues such as electric blue or magenta. Like the memoryware of old, the worn and broken pieces that Cassinerio uses in her work tell her story. But in a departure from the manner of thinking of the Victorian housewives who started this craft, Cassinerio's vibrant constructions offer a perspective that looks toward the future.
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