BIOGRAPHY:
Selected Exhibits
2011
Richmond Art Museum, Richmond, IN
2010
Evan Lurie Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
Indianapolis Art Center, Indianapolis, IN
2009
Kellar Mehaney Gallery, Zionsville, IN
2008
Boston Art Inc., Boston, MA
InterContinental Art/Museo Hotel, Chicago, IL
Editions Limited Gallery, Indianapolis, IN
Brenner Design Inc., Indianapolis, IN
2007
Kachman Gallery, Fort Wayne, IN
THE PORTRAIT ARTIST:
Tom Casalini brings to his portrait work a sense of “individuality.” He works exclusively in black and white and does his own printing. His warmth and depth of understanding of the human spirit has earned him a national reputation and keeps him in high demand.
THE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHER:
Tom Casalini’s Fine Art photography is based on his Private Collection work and special commissions from a select clientele. This includes his Italy Collection, Floral Collection, Americana Collection, and Beaches Collection. Each is a limited edition series. Individual commissions are accepted for exclusive Private Collection Photography for both businesses and individuals, where the subject matter can be identified by the client.
PUBLISHED WORKS:
Casalini traveled to 18 states and 52 different cities as he spent more than a year photographing recipients of our country’s highest award for valor in search for the truth about heroes. The result is the book “Ordinary Heroes,” a dynamic and unforgettable look at some of the remarkable men who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. It is a compelling 160-page book, with 48 black and white portraits of these national heroes. Next to each portrait, Tom puts into words the highly individual story behind it. Hailed “extraordinary” by Tom Brokaw and “brilliant… as it speaks of the ordinary lives from which heroes emerge and to which most return,” this book provides and inspiration like no other.
PUBLIC SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS:
Casalini has spoken to audiences that range the full spectrum of diversity, from military personal to elementary school students, retirement groups to young businesspersons, artists to investors. And at each presentation, he has held the audience spellbound with his retelling of the creation of “Ordinary Heroes” the book, and the story of these remarkable American treasures. He is equally comfortable mixing with a handful of attendees at an elite cocktail party, or mesmerizing and auditorium full of workers at a convention. He frequently also speaks on the topic of photography in general, and portrait work in particular.
“FAMOUS HOOSIER” SERIES:
As the series name implies, Casalini has captured portraits of many well-known individuals who trace their roots to an Indiana heritage. From the fields of entertainment, politics, sports, literature, fashion, news reporting, and more, these “famous Hoosiers” include the following.
Bill Blass
Jim Davis
Joyce Dewitt
Florence Henderson
Shelley Long
John Mellencamp
Jane Pauley
Sydney Pollack
Dan Quayle
Red Skelton
Kurt Vonnegut
John Wooden
Fuzzy Zoeller
Clients:
Bank of America
Barnes & Thornburg Law Fim
Brightpoint, Inc.
Conseco
Cummins Crosspoint
Eli Lilly and Company
General Motors
Indiana Supreme Court
Indiana University
John Deere
Katz, Sapper & Miller
McDonalds
National City Bank
Oxford Financial Group, Ltd.
Proctor & Gamble
Purdue University
Schaeffer Pen
Timex
Wilhem Construction Company
ABOUT THE ARTIST:
Tom Casalini’s passion for his art is evident in the warmth and depth of the human spirit he manages to capture in every photograph.
Nationally recognized for his unique style, Tom’s award-winning photographs have been displayed in countless galleries and one-man shows, corporate boardrooms and family homes as well as published in magazines, books and commercial advertising projects.
A first generation Hoosier from Logansport, IN, Tom studied fine art and art history at Indiana University and earned a degree in photography from the New York Institute of Photography. After a period of freelance work in Atlanta, Tom returned to his native Indiana as the official state photographer.
In 1973 he opened Casalini Photography in a historic two-story Main Street building in Zionsville, IN where he quickly gained a reputation for outstanding commercial work for clients as diverse as Pinehurst Golf & Country Club to Bank of America while also working on projects like the “Famous Hoosiers” series that featured Indiana natives like John Wooden, Kurt Vonnegut and Red Skelton.
In 2000, Tom published, “Ordinary Heroes”, an unforgettable book featuring 48 of the remarkable Americans who have received the Congressional Medal of Honor. Hailed by Walter Cronkite as “extraordinary…. as it speaks of the ordinary lives from which heroes emerge and to which most return,”, the inspiration and story behind the creation of Ordinary Heroes is now being shared by Tom in a dramatic and emotional presentation he makes to audiences across the country.
In addition to his portrait and commercial work, Tom recently founded Casalini Fine Art Photography, a limited series of contemporary colorful photographic collections inspired by his Italian heritage and his travels throughout the United States. His Fine Art Photography is displayed in major corporations and private collections around the United States.
Today, Tom Casalini continues to create the riveting black & white portraits that are his signature as well as explore new horizons in the art of photography with the heart and soul of an artist in his prime.
ARTIST STATEMENT:
Private Collection Photography is a complete departure from my black and white portrait work. First of all, it is executed in color. But not just the color I see through the lens of the camera; - I emphasize the color of emotion that the image evokes. It is fine art photography that interprets a “passion.” It originates with my own passion for my familial homeland, Italy. From there, I began exploring the souls of flowers. I’ve also focused on the essence of Americana in another collection, and one that captures the experience of beaches. Each is now featured as its own limited edition collection. Additionally, I’ve created wholly unique expressions of certain professions and businesses – for individualized Private Collections. Whether it si a passion of my own or one interpreted for a business or family client, it’s an expression of individuality. The result is a collection of photographs that are truly one-of-a-kind, utterly unique.