Maj Kalfus

Now a resident of the Hudson Valley, Maj Kalfus was born in Brooklyn, New York. After attending the High School of Art and Design and the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, as well as classes at the School of Visual Arts, her career, which began in the field of fashion illustration, evolved into fashion merchandising, marketing and design. The influence of her extensive career in the fashion industry, where she worked on projects for industry leaders such as Ralph Lauren, Gloria Vanderbilt, Tommy Hilfiger and Liz Claiborne can be seen in her paintings and drawings.

As a fashion illustrator, Kalfus employed elements of Sumi-e, the art of Japanese brush painting in her drawings. Today these influences are reflected in her drawings and mono-prints. Her landscape paintings reflect the lushness and special light found in the Hudson Valley, where she paints both in her studio and en plein air. Kalfus’s very personal style of family portraiture, recounting a poignant moment in a person’s family history, resonates with the viewer in a particularly special way.