Aumi Kauffman Perry

by Christi Marsico
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 1:10 PM MDT

Aumi Kauffman Perry was wrong when she thought she might not do anything with her artistic abilities rather than them being a hobby.

This oil painter, also a classical cellist who plays with the Wyoming Symphony Orchestra, has fused her oil painting talents with motherhood while developing her own exquisite style.

Born in Scottsbluff, Neb., Kauffman Perry began studying the cello in the third grade.

Upon moving to Casper in the fifth grade, she continued her cello lessons and was encouraged by her older sister and father who both played the cello as well.

Noting that playing the cello with her family members is a wonderful bond, her favorite thing about the cello is the sound it creates.

“I don’t know of any other instrument that pulls on emotions making that really beautiful sound,” Kauffman Perry said.

She enjoys playing the cello, but points out that her passion for painting wins.

In 2001, she earned her degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wyoming with a focus on painting.

After graduating, she visited her grandparents in South Dakota and stumbled across an oil painting studio, Pantura Studios, also referred to in French as “atelier” meaning studio.

Kauffman Perry studied drawing and painting for 3-1/2 years at Pantura Studios under Hans-Peter Szameit and Sanna Tomac.

“The great part is they (Szameit and Tomac) teach you how to draw exactly what you see, and a lot of people don’t get that opportunity,” she said.

Engaged in the studio’s discipline process, she didn’t touch oil paints for the first 1-1/2 years to focus all her efforts into pencil and charcoal drawings.

Working full time, Kauffman Perry explains that learning at the Pantura Studio was a step-by-step process where the instructors demanded students to treat their art education as a career.

During her time there, she created three pencil drawings, eight charcoals pieces and at least 10 paintings.

“You have to realize each drawing took two months and each charcoal took one to three months because we were being critiqued on every stroke,” Kauffman Perry said.

Keeping it real

After her intense art training, she moved back to Casper in 2005 and made her family her number one priority.

Her artistic influence has made an impression on her 3-year-old daughter, as she has taken a passion to painting and loves markers and crayons, as well.

Being a member of the Casper Artists Guild has given her the artist camaraderie and practice she desires to further develop her talent, plus access to West Wind Gallery.

Having created more than 100 pieces, the artist’s favorite thing to paint is still life and portraits.

Referencing photos when needed, she prefers to paint from real-life models.

“It’s easier to paint from life because you are capturing realistic life and light -- you are catching something more -- a certain characteristic about that person,” Kauffman Perry said.

With no specific person in mind to paint, she takes note of unique and beautiful faces that catch her eye. This oil painter believes it’s important to establish a relationship with a person before asking them to sit for her.

“Being held accountable to critiques,” is Kauffman Perry’s advice to beginning oil painters, as well as “being a strong believer in learning how to draw and realize how far that can take you.”

Whether its music, motherhood or painting, Kauffman Perry has dedicated herself fantastically to giving her all to her passions.

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