The Only Real Artist in the Family–My Grandmother

By Junior Levi Kassinove

Our PVS bloggers explored art and artists. Levi went close to home with his favorite artist, . . . his grandmother.

I know my writings are usually pretty…avant garde–and not exactly in ways that have clear merit, either. (See “A Clam Thanksgiving.”) My grandma, on the other hand, possesses an artist gene that she clearly refused to pass on. Nobody else in my family is even good at drawing. Working as an art therapist for 23 years in a community mental health clinic gave my grandmother a unique, empathetic perspective on people with mental illnesses. I interviewed her recently about how her experiences in the clinic shaped the way she painted, and this is what she had to say.

Me: Let’s start from the beginning. Who are you besides my grandma?

Tina: My name is Tina Kassinove, and I have been painting for over 50 years. I lived in New York for most of my life and moved out here to the desert around five years ago. 

Me: Why did you become an artist?

Tina: I’ve always loved art, even as a young child and more so around the age of seven. As I went into elementary school and to higher grades, I was always asked to go down to the lower grades to teach kids art. It was always something I loved. Maybe I’ve always felt the need to express myself through art because expressing myself verbally was not my skill. 

Me: What kinds of paintings were you originally making?

Tina: Early on in my career, I did hardline acrylics. There is no blurring of one area into another. Every aspect of the painting is clearly defined. Mentally, I was very rigid in my application of the art, and I was not allowing myself to freely paint what I wanted. I was not comfortable with who I was as an artist. Later on, working as an art therapist for the mentally ill just…freed me up. It really did. It gave so much more dimension to my life and to who I was. When I moved here, to [the Coachella Valley], I immediately embraced the beauty of the mountains and the colors of the foliage, which freed me up even further. I’ve allowed myself to not let the concepts that I come up with control my art, but let the canvases control my concepts. 

Me: You’ve done a lot of paintings about mental health; can you talk about those?

Tina: Working as an art therapist gave me such insight into the pain and suffering of those that grow up with mental illness. Everytime I completed a work, I would see something that reflects one of those patients and their struggles in that artwork. I also think that during my time working at the community mental health center, I gained insight into the workings of the mind and how nothing is black and white. There are so many grays and colors in between that really transformed who I am as an artist today. 

Me: Did you have any famous artists that you looked up to?

Tina: I absolutely did. I loved Mondrian, for instance. Some of my paintings earlier on, even now, reflect Mondrian. When I graduated from college and was developing my skills, I also liked Picasso and Lichtenstein. 

Me: If you had to pick a favorite painting, what would you choose? 

Tina: If I had to pick? Honestly, I think that one over there, “Coexistence.” I think the reason why is because of how the painting developed, and how I saw difficulties with it and just went with them. And, it turned out to be successful. I allowed the shapes to guide me.

(Side note, this is what she meant by the canvases controlling her concepts.)

Me: Lastly, if you had advice for young aspiring artists, what would it be?

Tina: Have faith in yourself, and never give up, and…let the experiences in your life guide you. Just allow yourself to be free and express yourself.

I don’t know, that doesn’t sound so good. Help me out here. You can tweak it, you know? Make me sound real good, kiddo. 

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Truly, it is difficult for artists to define why they do what they do. It is also difficult for them to give advice. Anyone who plays with emotion, color, and philosophy is bound to be somewhat mystifying. It seems that artists have a unique approach to life, in that they let it wash over them without thinking too much about the logistics. With Covid, most people would complain and lie in their beds all day. At the end of the ordeal they’d complain more about it to their friends and family. My grandma would choose to make a painting to express how she felt. How exactly a painting captures her experience is up to your interpretation. Also, you can find more of her art at https://www.tinakassinove.com/.