Norma, who is an 82 artist, lives and works in the San Tan Mountains of Arizona. She lives off the grid and is still going strong! Her passion is painting and following politics.

She may not be able to march, but she paints what inspires her. She has explored paintings about Native Americans, the desert landscape, and most recently Trump and Bernie Sanders. She has just started a series of strong women starting with Wonder Woman.

MORE ABOUT NORMA’S HISTORY:
At the precocious age of three years old her talent for drawing the figure and catching the likeness of a subject was recognized. Surely the genes of her renowned portrait painter uncle Irving Reznikoff had been passed on. Reznikoff’s work is in the permanent collection of the Portrait Gallery at the Library of Congress and the Vatican.

Thus began her many subway treks to art classes in Manhattan at the Museum of Modern Art, New York University Art School for Gifted children, High School of Music and Art, Art Students League and the Cooper Union where she graduated in 1955 with a degree in Fine and Graphic Art. There she studied with Robert Gwathmy and learned the importance of understanding anatomy and good figure drawing no matter how abstract the final result seems.

After graduation, the influence of the 1950’s culture led her from The New York School of Abstract Art to the suburban kitchen. Painting between diaper changes, she taught herself Albers Optical Color Theory. Combining that with Photorealism and Pop became natural when she discovered acrylic paint. The photorealist concept inspired her to return to precision drawing of the figure while transposing of the positive/negative color to tune in to her feelings about her subjects.

In the 1980’s she sold nearly all of her worldly possessions, replenished her art supplies and bought a motor coach. She headed west with her second husband Stash Furman. Spending time at living history events and earning the name Soul Catcher with 100’s of portraits of costumed participants that she produced using authentic pre 1840 materials – vine charcoal and rag paper. Reaching Arizona they fell under the spell of the southwestern desert, which inspired many acrylics, oils, and pastels of Native Americans, nature studies and landscapes.
Turning 50, Norma returned to school to continue her lifelong love of education and her interest in retaining her health. She and Stash enrolled in the Physical Education Exercises Science ESPE department at Arizona State University full time. Studying anatomy, osteology and physiology she became the first student to earn a combined Fine Art /Physical Education degree awarded at the university. While at ASU they designed a low impact exercise for adults, Walkaerobics. The success of the program led to gold medals from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, speaking engagements, videos, audios, books and exercise classes. Although she did the promotional work and illustrations for Walkaerobics, her full time fine art was put on the back burner and her larger paintings were placed in storage.

Now after 26 years of teaching and inspiring students in fitness and survival and while still teaching exercise part time she has finally returned to her art. Having completed her studio looking out over city lights miles away in one of the precious few unspoiled places left, she wants to inspire in a different way …through creating art, both with her own work and by conducting art lessons in her desert studio for young artists of any age.
 
Time travel through Norma’s risky life in her new memoir which follows her from 1930’s Bronx virgin, to suburban swinger, disco DJ, mountain man portraitist, fitness leader, and currently to 21st century off-the-grid conservationist. The book contains illustrations of Norma’s art throughout.
 
RISKY CHANGES: An Artist’s Metamorphosis from Clutz to Survivor
Memoir by Norma Reznikoff Goodridge Furman
180 color and black & white illustrations
Copyright© 2014 - 306 pages
stashandnorma@yahoo.com (602) 509-7110

 

 

 

 

 

BLOG SECTIONS

About Norma

Norma, who is an 82 artist, lives and works in the San Tan Mountains of Arizona. She lives off the grid and is still going strong! Her passion is painting and following politics.

She may not be able to march, but she paints what inspires her. She has explored paintings about Native Americans, the desert landscape, and most recently Trump and Bernie Sanders. She has just started a series of strong women starting with Wonder Woman.

MORE ABOUT NORMA’S HISTORY:
At the precocious age of three years old her talent for drawing the figure and catching the likeness of a subject was recognized. Surely the genes of her renowned portrait painter uncle Irving Reznikoff had been passed on. Reznikoff’s work is in the permanent collection of the Portrait Gallery at the Library of Congress and the Vatican.

Thus began her many subway treks to art classes in Manhattan at the Museum of Modern Art, New York University Art School for Gifted children, High School of Music and Art, Art Students League and the Cooper Union where she graduated in 1955 with a degree in Fine and Graphic Art. There she studied with Robert Gwathmy and learned the importance of understanding anatomy and good figure drawing no matter how abstract the final result seems.

After graduation, the influence of the 1950’s culture led her from The New York School of Abstract Art to the suburban kitchen. Painting between diaper changes, she taught herself Albers Optical Color Theory. Combining that with Photorealism and Pop became natural when she discovered acrylic paint. The photorealist concept inspired her to return to precision drawing of the figure while transposing of the positive/negative color to tune in to her feelings about her subjects.

In the 1980’s she sold nearly all of her worldly possessions, replenished her art supplies and bought a motor coach. She headed west with her second husband Stash Furman. Spending time at living history events and earning the name Soul Catcher with 100’s of portraits of costumed participants that she produced using authentic pre 1840 materials – vine charcoal and rag paper. Reaching Arizona they fell under the spell of the southwestern desert, which inspired many acrylics, oils, and pastels of Native Americans, nature studies and landscapes.
Turning 50, Norma returned to school to continue her lifelong love of education and her interest in retaining her health. She and Stash enrolled in the Physical Education Exercises Science ESPE department at Arizona State University full time. Studying anatomy, osteology and physiology she became the first student to earn a combined Fine Art /Physical Education degree awarded at the university. While at ASU they designed a low impact exercise for adults, Walkaerobics. The success of the program led to gold medals from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, speaking engagements, videos, audios, books and exercise classes. Although she did the promotional work and illustrations for Walkaerobics, her full time fine art was put on the back burner and her larger paintings were placed in storage.

Now after 26 years of teaching and inspiring students in fitness and survival and while still teaching exercise part time she has finally returned to her art. Having completed her studio looking out over city lights miles away in one of the precious few unspoiled places left, she wants to inspire in a different way …through creating art, both with her own work and by conducting art lessons in her desert studio for young artists of any age.
 
Time travel through Norma’s risky life in her new memoir which follows her from 1930’s Bronx virgin, to suburban swinger, disco DJ, mountain man portraitist, fitness leader, and currently to 21st century off-the-grid conservationist. The book contains illustrations of Norma’s art throughout.
 
RISKY CHANGES: An Artist’s Metamorphosis from Clutz to Survivor
Memoir by Norma Reznikoff Goodridge Furman
180 color and black & white illustrations
Copyright© 2014 - 306 pages
stashandnorma@yahoo.com (602) 509-7110

 

 

 

 

 

BLOG SECTIONS