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The Art of Steve Kuzma
Steve Kuzma
“Art and Peace”
“Astral Prayers”
From the time I was a young Ukrainian artist working in New York City, I have had the dream
of sharing my artwork through the venue of The Guggenheim Museum, especially my
spiritually inspired large oils. Believing in self transformation and transformation through the
process of painting, my goal has been to transmit this dynamic process to the viewer through
my work as an artist which at best comes from a place of intuition, study, clarity, simplicity,
and meditation.
As a contemporary American Impressionist Painter, I aspire to communicate with the viewer
by sharing a poetic glimpse of nature that is emotionally and aesthetically significant. During
my career I am very happy to have studied and received my B.F.A. from Parsons School of
Design NYC and then to have been acknowledged when receiving the Pollock-Krasner
Foundation, Joan Mitchell Foundation, Esther Gottlieb Foundation, and New York
Foundation for the Arts grants.
My creative techniques are inspired from within and represent an expansive process. I build
and create through constructive, careful, patient, and contemplative means in contrast to
destructive means used in war to eradicate people along with their art and culture now so
evident after the Russian invasion into Ukraine.
I lived in Kiev during Easter 1997, and there I painted the landscape, especially the fields. I
made studies on large 300 lb watercolor paper utilizing water-based color, pure pigment, wax
pastel and water mixable oil paint. I generally work ideas out on paper first and then move
onto linen canvas with paint over a clear gesso. The Fields “Polya/поля” or pastures are
where life, work, gatherings, joy and sadly now destruction all take place. It is where dreams
and prayers are offered, and heaven and earth meet. This body of work reflects a depth of
feeling and the sacred bond of the land and its people.
”Astral Prayers” is a series of paintings of Doves in flight with intuitively felt color utilizing
iridescent paint over a base of accurately sensed complementary colors and tones. These
paintings depict emotion without thought. Created first with quick studies to convey inner
meaning and inspiration in the simplest way. I have found definite advantages to combining
certain painting techniques that were not available to artists in the past. The paintings became
an answer to my prayer for resolution and peace in the Russian/Ukrainian conflict and
simultaneously these artworks became the solution to a creative problem. With the guidance
of meditation, the paintings document a full artistic and spiritual process and embody a sense
of grace for the viewer to imbibe freely.
In Art and Peace the focus is on the qualities of the empowered soul, human dignity, human
unity, and all that is noble and good. These works embody a state of gratitude, bliss, and
spiritual joy and stand in opposition to the current oppression and destruction being
evidenced in Ukraine.
Proposal
I propose a series of 4-foot by 8-foot and 4-foot by 12-foot oil paintings. The oils are intended
to be experienced at human scale. In them are embedded life-inspired qualities in a
harmonic dialogue with color. The work is experiential, building on the research and color
frequencies of the American Master Mark Rothko, the contemporary American spirit
embodied in the art of Richard Diebenkorn, and the humanism experienced in the art of the
French Impressionists.
“Satsang” means the company of Truth. The carefully painted works seek to convey a visual
spiritual discourse through each individual painting and as a group when viewed in a
large room. This is to be a spiritual and poetic conversation through the visual language of
painting in color. For example, the work can convey qualities of mercy, compassion, joy,
gratitude, and an appreciation for life. Because of their scale, the paintings interact directly
with the viewer and the goal is to restore the viewer’s sense of humanity as well as generate
a feeling of harmony, fellowship, and connectedness, and then go on to strongly reinforce a
sense of unity between all living things.
I have studied mystic poetry and practiced meditation since 1984 culminating in a trip to
Kirpal Ashram in Delhi India in 1987. By the grace of Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj, I
was then honored to be given the task to illustrate the cover for his upcoming book:
The Wonders of Inner Space: Mystic Talks (Bowling Green, Virginia: Sawan Kirpal Publications,
1988). Enlightened saints and mystics throughout time have seen and understood our
inherent divinity and unity, and they have stressed a life of appreciation and gratitude. This
truth resonates meaningfully within and without and I seek to achieve a sincere expression of
this in my life and art.
Below are some inspired quotes from the mystical poetry of Darshan Singh. In this body of
work these quotes serve as inspiration, meaning and essence:
“Heart to heart soul to soul- that is a true meeting.
Passing each other, coming and going, is not even an encounter.” 1
“I seek a world in which each individual is valued for his or her uniqueness and merit, and all
people lead a life of dignity and respect… Humanity has always dreamed of a time of amity
and peace when we would live and let others live…” 2
“When the flowers of the church, mosque and temple gather together,
Spring will blossom forth in Your garden, O Lord.” 
I have an original rendition of Darshan Singh’s poetry sung on SoundCloud by Steve Kuzma along
with a musical concert and exhibition of the” Doves of Peace” series. When Russia invaded Ukraine
and started their crime of aggression as defined under international criminal law, I painted every
day of the war to raise conscious awareness of the atrocity and sought to bring support for
displaced Ukrainian people. I cannot think of a better time to focus on this work and in support I
have donated proceeds from the sale of the work to help the Ukrainian people. It is important for
the arts to share a message of hope and inspiration and to help bring restoration of our humanity
into being.
Sincerely submitted, Steve Kuzma
Find Steve Kuzma’s extensive work here; https://deeppink-gull-357727.hostingersite.com/
Steve Kuzma Fine Arts2200 Fairmount Ave
Atlantic City, NJ 08401
United States856-313-1332stevekuzma.zenfolio.com