Rochelle (Reznik) Blumenfeld

Rochelle (Reznik) Blumenfeld

BLUMENFELD: Rochelle (Reznik) Blumenfeld, prominent Pittsburgh artist, died peacefully at age 88 at her home in Shadyside on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. A lifelong Pittsburgher, Shelley was born in 1936 in the city’s Hill District, to Rose and Lawrence Reznik and eventually moved to the East End with her parents, her younger brother Alan (wife Mimi) and her maternal grandfather, Harry Fairman. Fairman himself was an artisan and encouraged her to start painting and inspired her long career. Zadie Fairman insisted that she always have her own studio so she could pursue her talent. When Shelley was in fifth grade, she began taking art classes at the Carnegie Museum’s Tam O’Shanter program. In high school, she took advanced art classes in painting at Carnegie Tech. After graduation from Peabody High School, she studied painting and design at Carnegie Tech. She married Irving Blumenfeld in 1955 and moved to Stanton Heights, where their children Harold (wife Sheryl Riddle), Beth and Louis (wife Irina) were born. She began private classes with renowned artist Samuel Rosenberg at the YMWHA, where she was one of his youngest students. Rosenberg introduced her to the world of abstract art. She painted on large canvases, enjoying the physicality of painting. Her works encompassed motion, space and light. She was inspired by life around her to reflect and make statements in her paintings. Blumenfeld used bold colors, light and movement in her art to express herself. She was inspired by the natural shapes of the world around her. The artist stated, “Life continually alters its course on an unknown journey, and coping is not always easy.” Her paint-splattered third floor studio in her home in Highland Park was the favorite space for her grandchildren, including Harold and Cheryl Blumenfeld’s children, Brandon (wife Cassandra Malis), Justin and Morgan (husband Ryan Vibbert), and Louis and Irina’s children, Sofia and Loren Rose of Orlando, Florida. G-G to Finn, Eli, Ollie, Ben, Adam, Eliza and Margot. Also survived by nieces, Cookie Elbling and Amy Reznik (Julie and nephew Robert (Lizet) Reznik. Shelley was not only the consummate artist, but also the consummate hostess and friend. Her home was the center of family life, love, parties and holiday celebrations. One of Shelley’s favorite hobbies was collecting: memorabilia, religious objects, tea strainers and objets d’art. Her grandchildren’s curiosity about her many family collections inspired her to start a series of more realistic Hill District paintings, so she could share her childhood memories of that diverse immigrant neighborhood with generations to come, including great-grandchildren, Eliza Rose Blumenfeld and Margot Elyse Vibbert. Blumenfeld’s paintings have been exhibited in numerous public and private collections, including the Carnegie Museum of Art and the Westmoreland Museum of American Art, Greensburg. Her work has been included in the Bicentennial Exhibit of “American Painters in Paris” in Paris, France, the Copley Society of Art in Boston, and Dunfermline Fife in Scotland. Her work has also been included in the Heinz History Center’s partnership with the Master Visual Artists Project recognizing the lifelong achievements of influential Southwestern Pennsylvania artists. Shelley’s family would like to thank the loving and dedicated caregivers who helped Shelley: Shawntee, Lamiya, Breanna, Dara, Tara, Lori, and Maxine and Mandy Amedysis Hospice. Services at Ralph Schugar Chapel, Inc., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025, at 11 a.m. Visitation one hour prior to service (10 – 11 a.m.). Interment B’Nai Israel Cemetery. Contributions may be made to Congregation Beth Shalom, 5915 Beacon Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15217 or the Alzheimer’s Association, Greater Pennsylvania Chapter-Pittsburgh Office, 2835 E. Carson Street, Suite 200, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 or a charity of donor’s choice. schugar.com PJC

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