Cassandra Jennings Hall, African-American abstract artist born in Orangeburg, SC, spent her first twelve years in the segregated South until her parents moved the family North to New York City. Even as a young child, the pull of her imagination was irresistible. Crayons were her first medium, using the same brilliant lush color that continues to be one of her signature marks.
At John Adams High School in Queens, she was encouraged to work with pencil, tempura and oil. Having shown a great deal of talent and having been encouraged by her teacher(s) she always made art. It was her sense of pragmatism which kept her from attending Cooper Union to study art. Instead she entered the business world, completed a degreed program in computer technology at night. After a successful career in a renowned financial services firm where she was Vice-President in the Technology Division she has transitioned to become a full-time painter.
Jennings Hall has been painting and showing her work around the Metropolitan area. A diagnosis of cancer made her appreciate the impermanence of life and come to treasure every day. Her resolve and commitment to her art strengthened and changed the course of her work. Initially, she worked in a hard edge geometric style but became dissatisfied with the constriction of the linear form. She began to create works with subtle surfaces full of rich color, balancing calligraphic lines and soft edged shapes creating paintings which betray a studied simplicity.
Another pivotal moment in her career came when she saw the work of Japanese abstract expressionist, Tsugio Hattori who became her teacher and mentor until his death in 1998. Today her art reflects both African and Asian influences in color and style.
Cassandra Jennings Hall's work has been exhibited in museums, galleries, universities and corporations as well as in private and corporate art collections in the New York metropolitan area. Jennings Hall continues to live and work in New Jersey.