Suzi Zefting-Kuhn
I am a people person and have always been drawn to someone’s face, especially their eyes. I am drawn to animals as well and enjoy exploring their individual personalities and breed traits. Working in a realistic style I hope to showcase the essence of the person or animal. My media of choice are oils and pastel but I do dabble in watercolor at times. I have been experimenting with Encaustics and Ceracolors lately.
I am mostly self-taught, with lots of practice, but have taken short workshops with nationally acclaimed artists such as Robert Liberace, David Kassan, Steven Assael, Michelle Dunaway, Susan Lyon, Jeff Hein and more. If I ever stop learning I might as well stop painting. To provide the best education possible for both myself and others, I volunteer as the workshop coordinator for the Rochester Art Club, and bring well known national artists to Rochester to teach workshops.
I have a studio in the Hungerford Building in Rochester that I share with 12 other artists/friends as part of the Main Street Artists Gallery & Studio. In addition to my art I have been very active in the Rochester art community having served as President of the Penfield Art Association a number of years ago, and just very recently completing an eight-year term as President of the historic Rochester Art Club. I continue to be active with the Rochester Art Club.
A love of pastels also motivated myself and a fellow friend, another artist who loves pastels, to found the Pastel Society of Western New York a few years ago. We have grown our membership, which now includes several international pastelists. I currently serve as the group’s secretary.
In December 2020 I joined Pittsford Fine Art, 4 N. Main St. Pittsford ,NY as an artist member. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Thursday noon-6pm, Friday noon-8pm, Saturday and Sundays 11am-5pm.
You can view my work in my studio at the Hungerford, 1115 E. Main St Studio 452 as well as at Pittsford Fine Art (open hours listed above). I am happy to do commissions in both oil and pastel.
“Every time you touch pencil to paper you leave something of yourself~~~don't leave a lot of crap behind!” Burton Silverman, 2012
You can view this and other videos on my YouTube channel under Suzi Zefting-Kuhn https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCu4xfEUuPvj13G6K-WsHmqw/videos
Gallery of Suzi Zefting-Kuhn’s Art
"Jazz Hands IX", oil on linen, $1400
"Jazz Hands I", oil on linen, $850 This was the first of my Jazz Hands series of paintings of hands and musical instruments. The subject is my husband's hand on his alto sax. It was a challenging project.
"Jazz Hands VI", oil on linen, $850
"Jazz Hands VIII" Oil on linen panel The model for this piece is same woman who modeled for "Jazz Hands IX". This piece was a challenge in trying to get the perspective right.
"Jazz Hands VI" oil on linen panel Gretsch guitar and hands
"Jazz Hands II" oil on linen panel I took my photo reference from during a Saratoga Jazz Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY This horn and hands belong to Chris Botti.
"Playing Coy" Pastel on UArt mounted to gatorbord 23" W x 24 1/8" H On a visit to Seneca Park Zoo, Rochester NY with two of my grandchildren we stopped to watch the sea lions frolic underwater. Miss Dailey decided to play cute that day and I caught this photo reference of her. "Playing Coy" was juried into the 7th Annual Adirondack National Pastel Exhibition. This exhibit will be on view virtually at http://www.adirondackpastelsociety.com/ beginning July 7, 2021.
"Did You Take My Ball" pastel, matted and framed with museum glass This hippo was at the Cheyenne Zoo in Denver Colorado. I was there on a visit with my best friend.
"The Lookout" Pastel, framed with museum glass While visiting the North Carolina Zoo with my family I spotted this ringtail lemur sitting on this branch as if he/she was watching the area to help protect his lemur friends.
"Silver" Pastel, framed with museum glass Silver was born at the Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, NY and recently was sent off to another zoo as he was now old enough to breed. He was named after our baseball stadium "Silver Stadium" here in Rochester.
"Morning Mist" Pastel, framed I was visiting my sister in Holly Springs, NC and one morning looked out her kitchen window to see this scene with the sun coming up and this foggy mist. It was almost surreal. I tried to capture it in a painting.
"Rocky Mtn National Park" Oil on linen panel I took the photo reference on another trip to Colorado to visit my best friend. I had never been to the Rocky Mountain National Park before and the views were stunning. It was fall so the aspens were turning their glorious gold. I loved how the clouds seemed to sit at the top of the mountains.
"Ironwork Shed" Oil on linen panel I took the reference photo for this piece while visiting Charleston, South Carolina in 2019. While on a Gullah tour we visited this old shed which is where renowned ironworker Phillip Simmons created some of his famous iron gates around Charleston, and I believe one is in the Smithsonian.
"Mind Play" Oil on linen panel $795 26"H x 20"W, unframed 30"H x 24"W framed Local pickup or delivery only
Sticking My Neck Out SOLD! oil on wood panel 3' x 1' This size panel served to be the perfect size for a giraffe painting! I shot the reference photo for this piece at the Portland Zoo in Oregon.
"Boney James" oil on linen panel 14" x 18" $595 Photo reference taken at a Saratoga Jazz Festival
"Path to Their Futures" Pastel 11" x 14" $495 I used two reference photos for this piece.
"Storm Over Baltimore" oil on linen panel $695
Commissions Welcome
Suzi Zefting-Kuhn is happy to create that special piece for you. It can be done in oil, or pastel. Pastels will require framing under glass so bear that in mind when inquiring about a commission. Usual time involved in completing a piece is two months dependent upon subject matter. In most cases the photo reference is provided by the client and must be a clear photo, preferably not taken with a flash. Pricing supplied upon request via suzizeftingkuhn@gmail.com or by calling 585-233-5645.
"Little Bookworm" Pastel I did this portrait of my granddaughter Sophie. Painting children, especially younger children, is more challenging as they have large heads for their bodies.
"Zoey on the Beach" This oil was created for my nephew and his family of their little girl, Zoey. Children can get so involved in what they are doing, especially if it involves sand and a pail!
This is a pastel pencil drawing of three of my best friend's grandchildren. She provided me with the photos of the three of them and I combined the images into one drawing.
Oil painting of my youngest grandchild, Annika I combined several photo references to create this piece.
An oil painting of my grandson Miles.
"Eva Noles" Commissioned pastel for the Roswell Cancer Center, Buffalo NY Eva Noles was a nursing pioneer at the hospital there and once served as the Director of Nursing. She died in 2015 at the age of 96.
A commissioned oil painting of the late Joan. Her husband gifted the painting to the Shepherd Home in Penfield NY. Joan had done volunteer work at the hospice home for years.
Drawing study in pastel pencil for the Eva Noles commission for the Roswell Cancer Center.
Drawing study in pastel pencil for the Eva Noles commission for the Roswell Cancer Center.
An oil painting gifted to my best friend of her late husband and late son.
Commission Pastel Animal portraits welcome!
Commission oil on linen board
Pastel on UArt panel. Commission of Joli. Joli is a fifteen year old going on sixteen German Shepherd mix. I was happy to receive a good photo reference for this project. The client was very happy with the results. 14" x 16"
Portrait of Ari (commission)
Portrait of Rolf This is a memorial commission of a mom's deceased son. It was truly an honor to paint Rolf to give this mom a memory other than photographs.
