By Krystle J Bailey
When internationally acclaimed artist Steve Kuzma moved to South Jersey 18 years ago, he never imagined he’d find himself studying the fine art of miniature golf courses. The Philadelphia-raised artist who moved to the Jersey Shore, leaving behind a New York City career in illustration, found inspiration in the versatile work available in the local area. One exciting new project led to another, and this year, Kuzma found himself in a unique position as the artistic mind responsible for beautifying several local miniature golf courses.
Ocean City’s Pirate Island Golf and Congo Falls Adventure Golf are two of the recent projects updated by Steve Kuzma, who focuses on the luminous nature of paint layering in all of his works. The Jackson Pollock-Krasner award recipient, who owns art studios in Atlantic City and Bridgeton, found himself fascinated by the unique craftsmanship that goes into the golf courses we all know and love and shined a light on the process in a recent interview.
He spoke with precision and an implicit dedication to his craft as he explained the mixture of colors and layers used to refurbish ship knobs and larger-than-life aliens. He spoke about the work that went into climbing colossal concrete obstacles and the way the warmth of the season pressed him to inspired exhaustion.
“Each one is a work of art to me,” explained Kuzma about his miniature golf course enrichment.
In his work, Kuzma finds himself inspired to create life within each painting and spark a connection between the art and its viewer. He takes this same care and commitment to artistry into his work on local mini golf courses.
“I know people will really appreciate these things when they’re done well,” he shared.
The recently renovated displays made their debut this summer following several laborious months of paint layering and a steadfast commitment to the process by Kuzma. Each piece hadn’t been painted since prior to the onset of COVID-19 and was due for a belated sprucing, but Kuzma’s combined experience in a variety of fine art techniques took the immersive art to a new level.
“The art behind miniature golf is a world in itself,” shared Kuzma. “These things have a lot of beautiful concrete work and detail in the designs of the courses themselves. I didn’t know this whole world existed.”
Kuzma’s role in the big face-lift for the miniature golf course was to “bring it to life.” Using different layering techniques that he picked up in his years of studying art from New York to Paris, Kuzma tied it all together with a vibrant display of carefully curated textures and colors.
“It’s a testament to staying true to making a place look better,” explained Kuzma in reference to the patience and vision required to complete his job to perfection. “Artwork humanizes a space.”
Steve Kuzma’s miniature golf course work can be found in Ocean City at Pirate Island and Congo Falls, as well as on the Pirate Island Miniature Golf Courses in Sea Isle City and Avalon. Learn more about Steve Kuzma at stevekuzma.zenfolio.com or on social media at Art of Kuzma.
