We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Catherine Kuzma. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Catherine below.

Catherine, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

It was unexpectedly in college. I felt circumstance, pressure to survive and make a living, was shutting the door to my creative self. I felt bad that I couldn’t afford to go to art school at the time but unexpectedly while taking a few Drawing classes at Rutgers along with my required classes , the flames of my creative self were fanned and brought to life. I had amazing teachers there for painting, drawing , and photography. They let me be myself, create my own independent classes, and really reconnected me back to my inner/creative self. The support from the teachers was amazing. For the first time I felt like this is really me and I can not turn my back on this part of myself ever again. I felt deep inside that this was something I would pursue professionally no matter what,

Catherine, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

As a child I always loved to draw and paint, to create. Growing up art was always what connected me to myself, it brought me to a very peaceful, conscious, deep place within me, I was always surrounded by the arts and artists , creatives so the creative process always was a natural one for me. When I graduated from Rutgers University I freelanced as an illustrator for a number of years before turning to painting professionally for the past twenty years. I was fortunate to have been accepted into and won awards in numerous national and regional juried exhibitions, exhibiting my work in solo, group, and museum shows regionally, nationally, and internationally. Recently one of my oil paintings, through Art in Embassies, is being exhibited in the U.S. Embassy in Nepal, Kathamandu. Also one of my pieces was awarded a stipend and inclusion in a multi-media display exhibit “NJ Sense of Place” in Newark Liberty International Airport, Terminal A , Within the past 4 months I was able to sell 8 large paintings. And was thrilled to have a small oil painting sold at Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club’s juried Small Works Show at the Salmagundi Club, 47 Fifth Avenue. A cityscape of New York City, at the opening reception, it was the only painting out of 160 paintings exhibited that sold. Also, recently one of my oil paintings , The Boxer, was Shortlisted, made it through to the last round of jurying in the 2025 Jackson’s Art Prize. It was one of 115 paintings chosen from 12,964 submissions from 129 countries.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I have always faced challenges or obstacles along the way. The path has never been an easy one in the arts, but where there is a will there is a way it seems. And has always been a worthwhile journey. When I thought I had reached a point in my life that at last I felt I was unleashed from a great deal of of my challenges, my mother had a stroke. She was dependent on my care and I thought to myself how am I ever going to be able to continue with my art . I continued to care for her and continued to paint when I could. I started to win significant awards, my mother started to recover , A poet spotted my work and was inspired to write poems from 15 of my paintings. We collaborated, had a show at a gallery, and published a limited edition of handmade books from the poems and paintings. He and his wife became dear friends, helping me to exhibit locally in NYC and Philadelphia. Their support has been beyond anything I would have dreamed of. This past year my mother suffered another massive stroke just before I was going to leave the house to go to two openings. They gave her two days to live. She is now at home, dependent on my care, off the feeding tube, eating soft food, being wheeled on walks, inspiring all of us. Not sure how I will fit in my painting now, but where there is will there is way. I keep thinking of the oil painting that I did a few years ago that got so many awards and recognition, to keep fighting , to keep going in spirit . My mother reminds me of that.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

I think one of the most rewarding aspects of being an artist or creative is being able to partake in the creative process, knowing that you aren’t the doer. It’s such a meditative process. Also, so rewarding to be able to share the work and impart the results with others. The process isn’t complete without sharing the experience. It’s always amazing to see the impact of the work on others. Seeing something greater than ourselves take over. I started to really see that for the first time when poet, Dave Worrell started to write poems inspired by my paintings and started to witness how each piece had its own journey to take out there in the world, whether they were published, exhibited , winning awards, raising money for charities or causes, or being sold to collectors, they were having an impact and touching people’s lives.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.catherinekuzma.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catherinekuzmapaintings/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catherine.kuzma.7/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherine-kuzma-b904a733/
• Twitter: https://x.com/katkuzma
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@katkuzma
• Other: https://salmagundi.org/catherine-kuzma-nra-2022/