Released: February 10, 2023
UPDATED: February 17, 2023
Felix Voltsinger, SFCC art faculty member
Exhibition to showcase faculty member’s paintings and drawings through April 19
Santa Fe Community College Visual Arts Gallery presents the art exhibition, “Land, Space and Color – An Exhibit of Paintings by Felix Voltsinger,” which opens with a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, March 16 and runs through Thursday, April 19 in the gallery at 6401 Richards Avenue. The exhibition features the artwork of Russian-born artist and School of Arts and Design faculty member Felix Voltsinger. He will give a Gallery Talk about his work and his approach to painting at 12:30 p.m. on Friday March 31, in the gallery.
Voltsinger, an accomplished plein-air artist, has taught painting and drawing to SFCC students every semester since 2008. He plans to retire from teaching at the end of this semester after a long and successful career.
Laura Rosenfeld, Program Head for drawing, painting and foundations at SFCC states, “This exhibition celebrates a valued faculty member and an approach to painting that demands great skill as well as a determined spirit in order to feel as well as see and interpret the land.”
This exhibition of paintings and detailed drawings is the result of many years painting in a traditional plein-air mode. Voltsinger loves nature and delights in taking extended camping trips to work in remote locations. While he often creates pieces in one session, he also returns to the same place at the same time of day to continue to develop a piece. He uses his sketches, memory, and imagination to create larger works in the studio, eschewing the use of photographic reference. Whether at the easel, by the campfire, or sitting on the riverbank with a cup of tea, he constantly strives to be a better observer, opening himself to the richness and complexity of nature and deepening his understanding of the world around him.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia in the Soviet era, he demonstrated artistic talents early in life and was directed to attend the Academy of Fine Arts in St Petersburg from age 12 to his completion of a master’s degree in his twenties. Of Jewish ancestry, Voltsinger emigrated to New York City in the early 1980s. In New York he worked as a freelance illustrator and art conservator, relying on the traditional training provided by the classically-based Soviet academy system.
His love of painting and landscape brought him to the Western United States and Colorado where he lived in a small mountain cabin off the grid 9,000 feet above Salida, Colorado for more than a decade. During this time, he supported himself solely through the sales of his paintings.
As he approaches age 70, Voltsinger said, “I plan to live off the grid again at 8,000 feet, as a painter and spiritually-questing hermit, near the Continental Divide many miles west of Socorro with a tremendous view of the curvature of the earth.”
Arts and Design Dean James (Jim) Wysong, Ed.D., states, “We have been very fortunate to have Felix on our faculty. His passion, for both painting and teaching, has made him very popular with our students. While we will miss him dearly, we wish him all the best in his new endeavors.”
For more information about the exhibition or the gallery, contact Art of Campus Director Linda Cassel via email at linda.cassel@sfcc.edu or call 505-428-1501.
Please note: The college and gallery will be closed for Spring Break the week following the opening reception, March 18-26, 2023.
Forest Lake, oil on canvas, 32” x 48”
Valley of the Gods, oil on canvas, 30” x 44”
Santa Fe Community College celebrates its 40th Anniversary as the pathway to success for individuals and the community. SFCC provides affordable, high-quality programs that serve the academic, cultural, and economic needs of the community. The college welcomes over 10,000 students per year in credit, noncredit, workforce training, personal enrichment, and adult programs.
A “Best for Vets” and a “Military Friendly” school.
Visit sfcc.edu or call 505-428-1000.
Follow us: Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram
