A much needed break from blogging to painting!

If anyone would have told me that someday I'd be spending more time at the computer than at the easel, I would have had a good laugh.
As our world changes (in some good ways and some bad ways ) so does the business of art.
Back in the day, I painted all day while galleries represented me, marketed me and sold my paintings.
In today's world, much more time is spent marketing on the internet, yet my sphere of exposure has multiplied immeasurably.
With this series of Judaic paintings, I sensed for the first time, a real need to spread these messages far and wide.  Never before had I even printed my work.

This week I have completed the 24th painting of this series.  It has taken quite a while for me to decide which prayer to choose.  Personal circumstances kept leading me back to healing prayers but the Misheberach was no longer enough.
It's an odd thing about illness....those who rarely pray, find the words, find the feelings, find the intention.  How glorious it would be if that intention, that kavanah, was readily available to us at all times of prayer...when we offer up thanks and show our gratitude to Adonai.
When we were children we tried to make deals with G-d , trading off 2 days of being nice to a little sister if only we could pass a test for which we hadn't studied. But we are now adults and our relationship with G-d is no longer the same.  The pediatric version of our relationship no longer works.We are in partnership with G-d.  He needs to hear our authentic intentions.
I went back to ancient Biblical text and chose the 5 word plea of Moses, asking G-d to heal his sister, Miriam in the book of Bamidbar. "El na refa na la."
In 5 short words, staccato by nature, Moses' urgency is conveyed....a simple, yet direct message to G-d to please heal Miriam. The second 'please' highlights the need for immediate attention.

I did more than an average amount of research for this painting.  Much more symbolism was available than I had room for in the painting or in the accompanying text.
Suffice to say that gematria plays an important role in my interpretation.  Numbers help us make much bigger connections to a simple verse.  Digging deeper into those connections, helps us understand some of the true power of these five words.
The next blog post will detail the whys and wherefores of this 24th painting....stay tuned!
Enjoy!
The rest of the Judaic series can be found at:  Judaic Paintings
Contact me for availability of original and fine art reproduction: E MAIL

V'Ahavtah....and you shall love....

One painted expression of the Sh'ma, was not going to be enough.  When I took a closer look at the paragraphs following the opening lines, I realized that there was so much more to delve into, both visually and with words.

The first paragraph "and you shall love..." commands us to love G-d and instructs us in specific ways.
Thinking of this paragraph, I immediately chanted the first two trope marks that determine how the first word is sung.  It seemed only fitting to start a painting the same way.  As an aside, I am a Torah chanting geek. The rhythms, groupings and patterns delight my brain and challenge me in similar ways as do the design elements when I paint.
In black, (in right to left order), there is a right angle in the lower right corner and double dots in the upper left. Once the trope were laid in with bold brush strokes, a natural flow between the two formed. I was thinking of a tallit, the traditional prayer shawl, that helps us create a sacred space for prayer.  The flowing lines allude to this garment and its fringe.
I have an affinity for copper. I even live in the copper state! I didn't understand, at the time, but all of the metallic colors in my paintings would come to symbolize the heavenly realm. These words of Torah originated in this realm. Silvers, coppers, golds and bronzes were going to show up in  every painting in this Judaic series.

Complementary colors are opposites on the color wheel and create a natural balance for the viewer when used together.  On a painter's color wheel, the opposite of copper (orange) is blue. Traditionally, blue is a color used for all things Jewish. It was a delightful realization to blend these two colors with their symbolic values together.

The pattern along the bottom is the diagram for tefillin, the phylacteries worn to bind's one's arm. One of the names of G-d is Shaddai and it is embodied in the wrappings, represented by the letter shin, the first letter of the name. Shaddai is also used on the parchment inside a mezuzah case, upon which these words are written and mounted on the doorposts of our homes, as commanded in this first paragraph.

I am far from finished with my need to express the Sh'ma and it's paragraphs, but it was time to respond to the call of other prayers that begged for attention...

Sh'ma Yisrael

It was appropriate that the first painting in this series be the Sh'ma.  Afterall, they are the first 6 words taught to children, often before formal Jewish education begins.  It was no coincidence that the identifying words of our faith would herald the beginning of the Judaic series. Neither was it an accident, as described in my first post, that 12 drips, representing Jacob's sons be a message
for me to move ahead with Judaic work.

As the painting unfolded, my mind turned to 4 pivotal words: Adonai, Eloheynu, Adonai, Echad  (Lord, Our G-d, Lord, One).
With ink bottle in hand, I formed 4 corresponding circles in the center of the canvas.
The cantillation marks that denote how to chant these biblical words were painted across the top of the canvas and a strong, red vertical, anchoring the composition, sliced through the composition.

Color was added in a symbolic fashion as well. As with this first painting, the color red would come to represent G-d. Metallic shades of silvers or coppers would symbolize the heavenly realm.
Being the first of the series, I wanted to utilize a primary color palette of yellow, blue and red.
Once I settled on blue, my mind turned to the mysterious techeilet  blue, mentioned in Torah to be used to dye a thread of the Tzitzit.  All of the concentric circles that formed the bull's eye pattern became shades of blue. The single shaft of red anchors the design as G-d anchors our lives.

The complete series can be found here:JUDAIC SERIES
If you have a special request for a specific prayer, blessing, proverb, psalm, please contact me directly CONTACT