Resitza, Romania
B. 1936

Jacob Pfeiffer was born in a town settled in the 1700’s by emigrants from Germany.  At the beginning of WW II, many men with German names, his father among them, had previously been conscripted into the German military when Hitler invaded Romania.  After the war, remaining ethnic Germans in Romania were captured by the Russian invaders.   In Siberia's mines, men and women were used as slave labor, and thousands lost their lives.

  
  Clash of Cultures

At the age of 12, after several years in hiding with his mother, they learned that his father was alive in Austria.  They joined a small group which hired a guide to lead them there.  Walking during the night took over five months, and included three captures and imprisonments in Hungary and in the Russian sector of Austria.  Once in the American sector, they lived as "DP's" (Displaced Persons) in American Army barracks, where his father worked as barber to the officers and GI’s.


Changing Times

Pfeiffer's own background greatly influenced the primary focus of his art for many years.  In school in Austria, he learned about the plight of the American Indians which was similar to his own.  In art classes, he drew and painted what he could learn of their lives when they still lived in freedom.

At age 19, Pfeiffer immigrated with his parents to Cincinnati, Ohio. Working at a variety of jobs, he honed his art skills through classes and painting at night.



In 1969, after winning a city wide art competition, he went into art full time.  He was soon picked up by Cincinnati's prestigious Closson Gallery (founded in 1866) as their "western artist."  His first three solo shows sold out on or before opening day.


Mustang Winter

For twenty five years, Pfeiffer and his family lived on an 1890's Indiana farm, spending the first years in remodeling and improving the neglected buildings and land. They grew much of their own organic food, and were surrounded by wildlife and domestic animals. Many of these, especially the horses which they trained in Dressage, were often models in his paintings.


Welcome Sight
(Hansie, Juliette, Ridiere)

Through reenactments, Pow Wows, and documentation by historians both European and Indian, Pfeiffer had obtained a wealth of reference material used in his paintings.  In depicting life in the late 18th to early 19th centuries, his goal is to share a moment of history with the viewer. Pfeiffer focuses on the character qualities of his subjects, those traits universal to all people who cherish freedom and self-reliance.


Long Journey of Hope  






Wildflower Ridge





In his journey as an artist, Pfeiffer later also studied with contemporary artists Dan Gerhartz and Joe Abbrecia at the Scottsdale Artists School, and broadened his subject matter and style through the influence of friends C.W. Mundy and John Michael Carter.


Downtown Skater

"My favorite activity has always been painting.  I feel secure with the fundamentals, and enjoy experimenting with new subjects and technique.  With my Still Lifes, I endeavor to follow the time proven principles of the great 17th century Dutch painters.  Their mastery of drawing, composition and lighting remains my approach when depicting this genre.”

    
Coffee Break
 
"In recent years, since I enjoy painting diverse subjects, I entered juried shows which accepted a variety of art, from historical realism to loosely impressionistic. Both the Oil Painters of America (OPA) and the American Impressionist Society (AIS) require acceptance into a number of their national shows for the artist to be designated a Signature member.   I feel blessed to have earned this distinction from both these respected art societies."