About

In her colorful and saturated oil paintings, Lucy Reitzfeld explores the relationships she’s always had with land and sea.

Born into an artistic theatrical family on the shoreline of Long island, New York, she painted and drew from an early age. Surrounded by paintings and etchings hanging in the family home she developed a love of art and art history.

Much of her early visual surroundings find their way into her current work. The local forests, water, and gardens have never left her unconscious, serving as both inspiration and armature.  “Often something I saw as a child will work its way into a current landscape.” These memories tend to infuse her work with a sense of deja vu and mystery. She combines memory with keen observation, art history, and photo reference. “I try to spend time painting plein air as much as possible. That visual imprint stays with you forever.”

After graduating from The School of Visual Arts with a B.F.A. and obtaining a certificate in Anatomy from the National Academy of Design in New York she embarked on a career in illustration, garnering an Andy Award and a Communications Arts Merit award. Like many commercial artists, she eventually needed to work on her own paintings.

“I am enthralled with figuring out nature and am continually excited by colors,  shapes, light and atmosphere whether it’s something seen, remembered or invented. I often throw away all my references and let something else happen. That is the magic. I am interested in the beauty and complexity of the visual world.”

Lucy Reitzfeld’s work can be seen in numerous public and private collections throughout the United States and Europe.