As a born and raised New Yorker with an early interest in doing art, the creative foment of the 1950s New York art scene was an exciting time for Curt Pfeffer. He attended City College of New York and the Art Student’s League, NYC. He was mainly interested in painting and drawing until a move to Arizona in 1967. Following a deep curiosity about the Hopi people, he spent time living and working at Hopi. This soon led to a summer’s apprenticeship with world renowned Hopi artist, Charles Loloma in his jewelry studio near Hotevilla. As a result, jewelry work became Curt’s preferred creative endeavor.
The non-objective and emotionally charged approach of abstract expressionism of those early years in NY still informed Curt’s work years later. “I just love working with metal and stone,” he said.
“I’ve been making jewelry since 1970 here in the Southwest. Seems to be a family thing... brother, niece, and both my sons are jewelers,” reflected Curt. His son, Noah Pfeffer, is a very talented jeweler who we love working with here at Garland’s.
Curt lived in Jerome, Arizona and for over 30 years he owned a jewelry shop called Aurum Jewelry. His work was also represented in numerous galleries throughout the Southwest. In his spare time Curt was an avid fisherman. “I like to get on the water when not working and try to fool a fish with a fly rod,” he said.
Curt passed away in 2023 and we’re honored to carry his beautiful remaining work.