Helene Rene Pfeffer
This episode explores themes of self-expression, the relationship between the artist and the canvas, and the role of various media in Pfeffer's work. Helene also shares insights about teaching art, the importance of failure in the creative process, and the vibrant artistic community in Santa Fe.
Step into the sun-drenched Santa Fe studio of Helene Pfeffer, a lifelong painter whose journey has taken her from the rigid "Texas rules" of her youth to the expansive freedom of the New York art scene and, finally, to the high desert. Helene discusses the physical and spiritual grit required to create her enormous abstract canvases, sharing why she has embraced failure and loss as her most profound teachers. From her "Venetian series" inspired by light and water to her current mastery of making acrylics sing with the depth of oils, Helene offers a masterclass in the creative process—advocating for the "privilege of boredom," the necessity of patience, and the courage to leave a work unfinished for decades until it is ready to speak.
