Georgianna Gelfan was born in Michigan in 1962 and grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where she helped raise horses for show. She successfully competed in many disciplines, most notably in reining.
Her career in art started at an early age when she began illustrating horse show programs and doing animal portraits. She collected numerous awards for her art, both locally and nationally, before she was old enough to drive.
Being primarily self taught, Georgianna was most influenced by the paintings of her contemporaries. A long association with art as a framer exposed her to a great variety of world class art, where she discovered a passion for paintings in oil. Artists like Clyde Aspevig, Kevin MacPherson, and Richard Schmidt have fueled her desire to be a classical impressionist. Past masters Maynard Dixon and Nicholai Fechin have provided inspiration as well. She has a love a art that spans generations and styles: modern painters like Ed Mell and Edward Hopper classical impressionists Monet , Sorolla, and Pothast abstract painter Jackson Pollack, illustration by Maxfield Parrish; to name a few.
Georgianna states: "I am so in love with all of the art that I see being created. It is sad that all they teach kids about are the historic or outrageous figures. Good art should be common and attainable -- At the very least available to visit..."
She is an artist's artist, frequently receiving praise from those she shows with. Her work has been displayed throughout the west in galleries including The Long Gallery, Scottsdale, Az; Leslie Pendleton Gallery, Scottsdale, Az; Black Swan Gallery, Seattle, Wa; Ilene Enck Gallery, Bellvue, Wa; The James Gallery, Kirkland, Wa; and the LakeShore Gallery, Kirkland, Wa. In addition, her work has been exhibited in group shows in California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Pennsylvania and Washington.
Georgianna hates to be put into one category, artistically. She exhibits and sells works in pencil, watercolor, oil, pastel, and mixed media. Her ability to appreciate and then convey beauty in so many different forms has added to her style and technique. "I love the way light is reflected and distorted by water and clouds. Living in Seattle has intensified my perception and increased my appreciation of color."
G. Gelfan lives in Seattle with her husband and daughter. When not painting, you might find her learning to rock climb, or chasing a hang glider as her husband flies cross country. Her other joys in life are her daughter, cooking and gardening , and her animals.
© 1999 G. Gelfan
URL: http://www.cely.com/gg/about.html