The primary intent of my paintings is the transport of the viewer from a physical reality to an uplifting and often spiritual dimension through nature.
Skies, the subject of many of my paintings, have always been a source of wonder and a means to fill my spirit with uplifting visions and impossible perspectives created through color and form, carrying me and hopefully viewers to a juncture-- a respite for peace and serenity
In my landscapes, I try to create a sense of time and weather through color and atmospheric light. My palette colors are based upon creating an airy atmosphere that can be vicariously felt by the viewer with the intention that the viewer feels just steps away from the scene. Sometimes I minimalize and/or simplify complicated landscapes to draw attention to a specific concept--- sun lighted paths, dusk, uninhabited land, a quick view of driving by overgrown forests. Sometimes a major pictorial concept is bringing out the design features of an outdoor scene. I almost always include a strong sense of pattern in my compositions.
Artist Biography
Susan Leshnoff often uses nature as a subject, concentrating on fleeting experiences of time and space, combined with a deeply spiritual expression founded in her long time interest in Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. Leshnoff’s paintings have been included in a number of group exhibits in the tri-state area, including the Monmouth Museum, Kean University, and The College of St. Elizabeth, in New Jersey; Legend Gallery, the Philadelphia Foundation and the Da Vinci Art Alliance in Philadelphia; and Pleiades Gallery of Contemporary Art in New York City. Prior one person shows were at Cerulean Gallery (Philadelphia), Legend Gallery (Philadelphia) Lederer Gallery, SUNY (Geneseo), Columbia University and Union Theological Seminary in NYC.
Leshnoff was awarded Associate Professor Emerita upon retirement and Distinguished Professor Emerita in Fine Arts in 2016 by the College of Communication and the Arts , Seton Hall University, South Orange NJ, where she taught for 17 years. She is also a former Chair of the SHU Department of Art, Music and Design.
A New Jersey native, Leshnoff has her art studio in Philadelphia, Pa. Her work is included in private national and international collections.
Education
Columbia University, New York, NY Ed.D. Art and Art Education
University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA MA, Painting and Art Education.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA BA, Art History
Continuing Education Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Accademia di Belle Arti, Florence, Italy
Bibliography
2014 Hawkins, Cynthia, “Exhibit: SkyVisiion by Susan Leshnoff,” December 2, 2014
InLiquid, Philadelphia, PA Artful Print, New York, NY Legend Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Professional Experience
2016 Distinguished Professor Emerita in Fine Arts, College of Communications and the Arts, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
2015 Faculty Emeritus, Fine Arts, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
2007 - 2010 Chair, Dept. of Art, Music and Design, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
2003 - 2014 Associate Professor of Fine Arts, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
l988 - 1997 Assistant Professor of Fine Arts, College of Fine and Performing Arts, Montclair State University, Upper Montclair, NJ
1997 - present College of Communication and the Arts, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ
Invited Artworkshops, Jury
2021 Nostalgia, The Plastic Club, Philadelphia, PA Juror
2015 Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN "Children's Art in Thereinstadt," Holocaust Education: Workshops and Public Lecturer, Guest Scholar, Art Education Department
2014 National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA Hebrew Calligraphy Adult Art Workshops, February & December
Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA "Multiculturalism and Art Education" Lecturer
2013 Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA "The Relevance of Viktor Lowenfeld for Today's Art Educators" Lecturer
National Museum of American Jewish History, Philadelphia, PA "Viktor Lowenfeld: Art Theory Traversing Continents" Docent Training Workshop
Noyes Museum, Oceanville, NJ "Art as Transcendence" Art Teacher Workshop
Exhibitions
Solo
2021 Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2020 Cerulean Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2015 Genesis Revealed, Legend Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
2014 The SkyVision Series, Lederer Gallery, SUNY Geneseo, NY
Recent Featured Artist: Group Show
2021
Green, Frieda for Generations, Philadelphia, PA
2017 Art Unleashed 2016, Featured Painter, The Palette and the Page Gallery, Elkton, MD
2016 InnerVisions: Jean Blumberg and Susan Leshnoff, Legend Galleries, Philadelphia, PA
