Born and raised in Southern California, Buffy Kaufman creates captivating watercolor pieces through intriguing color choices and delicate technique. Her distinctive approach embraces spontaneity and abstraction, resulting in dynamic works full of movement, emotion, and layered color. Inspired by the natural world, she uses stylized hues, expressive shapes, and the interplay of positive and negative space to bring her vision to life. In this season of life, she has found the blessings of community through art. She is a Signature Member of the Louisiana Watercolor Society and Women in Watercolor.

A self-taught artist, Buffy understands the value of guidance and encouragement when learning to paint. She believes in sharing what she’s discovered along the way and loves turning her personal explorations into approachable lessons. With over eight years of experience mentoring at-risk youth and teaching children’s art classes, she now leads watercolor workshops for adults, both in person and online. Buffy’s teaching style focuses on exploration, confidence-building, and cultivating joy in the process.

“My core belief is that art is better shared. Daniel Smith embodies this in their culture, community involvement, and commitment to learning. Their versatile color range—especially the Hansa, Quinacridone, and Phthalo series—makes mixing color a joy. As a nature-inspired artist, texture is important to me, and DANIEL SMITH’s granulating pigments offer incredible variety, with some settling beautifully into the paper’s natural texture.”

How Buffy uses Watercolor Sticks

Buffy works with a granulating triad

Buffy blends orange and red