AVINU MALKEINU...Our Father, Our King....

My simple intention for what turned into my Judaic series was to pour out my head and heart onto canvas.

What came next, was a total surprise.  I received such great interest in these contemporary abstract paintings.  I revisited the possibility of making fine art prints in order to give the texts and images a much bigger audience.  Up until then, I had only sold original paintings. I quickly discovered that High Holiday cards were a big seller and after a few years, I needed to add to the offerings for our holiest of days.

I read some history about how this prayer, penned by Rabbi Akivah, came to be. The Rabbi was asked to pray for rain.  All earlier efforts had failed.  Instead of asking for rain, he praised G-d and only asked that He listen to their voices and then "do with us, for Your name's sake."

The rains came.

In a formal service, this prayer is often a highlight of the service musically. It's just one of those prayers that allows cantors to share a full range of emotions.  As a congregation, we hear it, sense it, feel it.

I knew where to begin.....with a lot of water for the rain.  I also knew I needed to listen to cantorial renditions of this prayer, rather than singing it on my own.

I started with the most passionate of colors: red and slashed wide brush strokes across the wet canvas.

As the drips poured down I saw tears, not only of Rabbi Akivah's contemporaries, but of our people when this prayer is offered up in our High Holy Day services.

Lo and behold, two shofars appeared, juxtaposed from the same source....our Father, our King.

As an aside, when I was completing this painting, a woman contacted me about commissioning a painting for their beloved Rabbi.  She requested something with a shofar in it.  Their Rabbi, first hired after 9/11, played taps on the shofar at the memorial service for their congregation.

I was so moved by her story  (and still get goosebumps today just thinking about it.)

It was clear where this painting needed to make its home.

Shanah Tovah to all of my friends, followers, collectors and connections.  Please G-d, let it be a good one for us all.

Havdallah....Separation

After completing the previous painting that welcomed the Sabbath, it seemed only fitting to move on to the blessings that heralded the end of Shabbat.

This particular painting has more concrete images hiding in plain sight, than my other paintings.  It was a challenging little game I set up for myself.  I wanted the light of the candle, the Kiddush cup and the spices to be discovered by the viewer. Challenges are important elements to an artist. We want each new creation to surpass the last, lest we get stuck in a rut and lose that element of authenticity. Abstract painting requires more 'work' on the part of the viewer, to discover meaning and connection. My goal in this painting was to set up a visual treasure hunt of sorts.

Havdallah is my favorite service and not because of the brevity of it.  It is a bittersweet time, yet it is filled with hope for the coming week.  We say goodbye to what is holy, losing the special gift of an additional soul, but we are renewed and refreshed to face the work week ahead. For me, it is almost magical to share this separation with others.  No other service has such built in ambiance.
Our senses of sight, taste, smell, hearing and touch are all addressed and delighted.
Being one who often leads Havdallah, I can attest to the fact that it can elicit a sense of childlike wonder to those who participate in it.  Close attention is paid to each ritual item and the order in which they are presented.

When I began this painting, I had thoughts of movement upward, whether it be the aroma of the spices or the direction of the flames. I wanted the kiddush cup to anchor the design because this blessing is central to so many of our celebrations and holy days.

For those of you familiar with my body of work, you know that I adore circles.  They crop up everywhere and found their home in this series simply because they  symbolize concepts found in our prayers....wholeness, infinity, life cycles, etc.  In this particular painting, it was important for me to bring in the idea of having an extra soul to aid us on our spiritual journeys on Shabbat. Hence, the stacking of two circles to represent the souls.

Design wise, the braided lines of the tri-wicked Havdallah candle are repeated in the fragrance from the spices, as they both wend their way upward, toward G-d, as symbolized by the color red.

G-d gave us a day of rest to make us holy.  We acknowledge it's end, as we acknowledge it's beginning.

To see the complete series of 23 paintings and texts: Sacred Intention

Please note that Clergy and Jewish organizations receive discounts on selected products.  These images are available in a wide variety of sizes and materials. Please contact me directly.

Hadlakat Hanerot: Lighting the Sabbath Candles

Working with the copper color and the natural contrast between metallic and opaque paint was something I wanted to pursue  artistically. My mind turned to two occasions and their blessings that also contrast...the beginning of Shabbat and the end. My next two paintings would explore Hadlakat HaNerot and Havdallah. These times when we switch between the Holy and the profane.

Tackling the lighting of the candles for Shabbat first, the concept was to make the contrast visible in form...I wanted the viewer to see the two worlds juxtaposed.  The flames of the Shabbat candles transcend the physical (blue) globe and wend their way into the spiritual, (metallic) realm.  The orange flames blend into the red that represents G-d's presence

Lighting candles heralds the beginning of the Sabbath and is one of three commandments specific to women, symbolically shown by the three turquoise orbs.  In keeping with the feminine directive of this prayer, a platinum orb floats overhead, representing the Shechina, the feminine aspect of G-d. In the original, this orb is crafted from handmade paper with an embossed pattern.  This mixed media painting also heavily relies on air brush inks to block in the initial design as well as acrylic paints.

I chose to use a ruby red copper as well, to intensify G-d's presence when we keep this commandment. The Sabbath is not just a day of rest.  We are sanctified when this commandment, one of the ten, is honored and kept.

As it turns out, the message and the image became the blessing I chose to represent the entire series.  It is the cover of my books.  Not only was I pleased with the end result of my process, I felt the message was clear.

This image and most others are available as fine art cards, printed on matching metallic card stock. Each card has a metallic envelope and clear sleeve. The text is printed on the back.
Variety packs of cards are available as are discounts to members of the clergy and those affiliated with Jewish organizations.  Prints are available in a wide variety of sizes on paper, canvas, metal and acrylic.
Please contact me directly at info@art-marleneburns.com

Next up...Havdallah.

In the beginning......

For me, the most exciting thing about abstract expressionist painting is that I never know what will show up on the canvas. Authentic expressions have deeply rooted origins. When my painting process is complete, I need to examine the results to fully understand the expression. Each morning that I paint, I face a blank canvas.  It is thrilling to realize that my day's work will yield a surprise upon completion. My emphasis is always on the process of painting rather than the finished product.

One morning, at the height of my involvement in Judaic teaching and training, I simply could not clear out my head. It was filled with prayers, commentaries, dvarim, conversations and melodies. The day before, I had taken my first look at Mishkan T'Filah and was impressed by Sh'ma Yisrael in Torah font, spanning two pages in an arc shape.
That image was stuck in my head as I chanted the prayer in Torah cantillation over and over.
My favorite Sh'ma midrash explains that when our Patriarch, Israel, was on his death bed, surrounded by his 12 sons, they announced,  "Listen, Father (Israel) : the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One." They assured their beloved father that they understood and would maintain their allegiance to this basic tenet of Judaism. In a weak voice, he responded.
We emulate Israel's dying words by saying that second line softly or silently.

Rather than fight to clear out my head, I put the canvas on the floor and squirted black ink across the top in a big arc. I asked G-d for a sign and tilted the canvas.
Twelve drips ran down the arc.  For me, those drips represented the twelve sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel. I had my answer.
One painting led to another and 6 weeks later, I took a breath, stepped back and had 9  paintings. Before the next spurt of creative expression took over, I realized that as an artist and Hebrew educator, I needed to compose texts to accompany these paintings. Translations of each prayer with my interpretations would become an integral part of these offerings.

I have added 14 more paintings to this Judaic Series that I refer to as "Sacred Intention."
Unlike my other abstract expressionist work, this series requires preparation.  I don't measure, make renderings  or choose colors. Instead, I study, read commentaries and research origins.  Music heightens our ability to connect to a specific prayer, whether serving as a nostalgic bookmark in our lives or simply providing emotional comfort.
For that reason, I always chant or sing the specific prayer while I paint.

Authentic prayer requires kavanah.  Painting expressions of our liturgy demands the same sacred intention.

Please follow this blog as I take you on my journey of melding two passions in my life...Judaism and Painting.