About the Artist
Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti, born August 31, 1953 in Iowa City, was a printmaker specializing in Intaglio for
over 40 years. He came to the renowned printmaking department of Mauricio Lasansky at the University
of Iowa in 1978. He obtained his B.F.A, M.A. and ultimately, his M.F.A. in printmaking in 1985.
Following the completion of his degrees, he continued working as Lasansky’s personal assistant and printer
from 1985 - 1998. In 1987, Jon obtained a printing press and began working on his own body of work. His
passion was inexhaustible, putting the burin to the copper plate and telling a story with each impression.
Multiple hours were spent tediously working each copper plate prior to going through the press.
Jon controlled and performed every aspect required to do his work, from engraving the copper, choosing the paper, making his printing inks from scratch,
prepping his plates, operating the manual printing press to pulling the print off the plate and securing it to the wallboard to dry.
His subjects stem from his inspirations – his family, the outdoors, and an appreciation of life in general.
His family is his greatest source of pride and has been the subject of multiple prints, often engraved in the
fringe hours on family vacations. Spending time outdoors and playing the trumpet in music ensembles
were important to Jon throughout his life. These works reflect Jon’s memories of music and hiking, as he
eventually lost the ability to walk and play the trumpet in the final years of his life due to ALS.
While Jon knew for many years his disease would eventually rob him of the ability to play music and
engrave copper plates, he never lost his passion for either, and made the most of the time he had as his
abilities began to wane. He persisted with the strength of purpose and unmatched determination to
preserve his memories while maintaining the vanishing art of engraving. His goal was simply that people
find inspiration in his work. Even as his condition worsened, he continued to draw and paint until the
end of his life. Jon died at home in Muscatine, Iowa on March 30, 2021. Jon's widow, Diane Calzaretta, continues
to represent his work from their Muscatine home.
Fasanelli-Cawelti's works have been exhibited nationally and internationally and are held in numerous private and public collections.