Hiking from Memory

October 1, 2024 - January 8, 2025

This body of work coincided with artist Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti's physical limitations due to Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), restricting him to a chair. These creations became his maps, a visual "armchair" voyage, with each piece echoing and archiving steps previously taken.

Throughout his career, Fasanelli-Cawelti navigated themes of aging, illness, and familial bonds, drawing inspiration from his wife and daughters. Initially, his images were objective, but a shift occurred in the late 1990s, introducing obscurity and abstraction. Music, particularly Jazz, emerged as a new muse. Rekindling a relationship with the trumpet during this time, Fasanelli-Cawelti found that the imagery associated with music started to become an influence, merging with the narrative of his ALS. The rigor of engraving and trumpet playing complemented each other, presenting equal challenges. Fasanelli-Cawelti noted, "Having a progressive disorder has freed me from any obligations to past forms. With this liberation, I can find a new image to explain myself."

Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti (1953-2021) was mentored by Virginia Myers and Mauricio Lasansky. For more than fourteen years, he served as an assistant to Lasansky. He played the trumpet and performed with the Muscatine Symphony Orchestra and Mad Creek Mudcats. Fasanelli-Cawelti's artwork was inherently physical, exploring the sculptural potential within drawing and intaglio.

Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti, Hiking from Memory, dual direction print, 15.75" x 13"