Pattern Seeker
This bistro table originally had a plain wooden top, and four wire legs. I filled and sealed the wood, then painted it white, with a faux lace edging. On top of that, I stenciled a design in variegated shades of blue. Then I varnished it with several coats of a tinted gloss, sanding in between. I replaced the legs with a central pedestal that I painted blue with a black glaze. I then made the box cushion chair pads to match.
August, 2010 — I am proud to announce that I am one of the artists included in the new book “500 Judaica” , which was just published by Lark Crafts/Sterling Publishing. The book features beautiful color pictures of 500 works of Judaic art, chosen from thousands of submissions. Less then 200 artists from all over the world were selected. My contribution is my quilled bessamin box intended for use during Sukkot. It is made primarily of 23k-gold edged paper, quilled in a three-dimensional form. The box is functional, and features the “Four Species” and a Biblical reference to the holiday of Sukkot.
500 Judaica is available from Amazon or Barnes and Noble or you may request it from your local Jewish bookstore.
This famous memorial to American bravery needed to be re-gilded. The Society of Gilders donated our labor and some materials to work together on this community service project for the National Park Service. We worked for several days under the guidance of Michael Kramer and the Gilders’ Studio. That’s me on the ground level and in profile – I didn’t want to work on a ladder!
The Goddess of Electricity
This statue, dedicated to Marconi, stands in Washington, DC. It belongs to the National Park Service, and had become very worn and lost the original gilding. As a community service project, the Society of Gilders worked together to gild the entire 
memorial anew. We donated our time and labor. Here are several views, before and after. Most photos by Michael Kramer of the Gilders Studio. 
That’s me, up on the scaffolding.
Bessamin Box[singlepic id=35 w=175 h=340 float=]
This bessamin box, to hold spices for the Havdalah ceremony, honors the holiday of Succoth, thus combining the mitzvot of making Havdalah with that of “sitting in the Sukkah”. Each side features an oval inset of one of the “Four Species” – etrog, willow, palm, and myrtle, in color, with its Hebrew name in gold. Surrounding the ovals are pomegranates or grape leaves, also in gold. Pomegranates and grape leaves are traditional symbols of abundance, and pomegranates particularly represent all 613 mitzvot. Around the base, in golden Hebrew letters, is the latter half of Lev 23:40 “…and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God seven days.” (Because this was for decorative purposes, the non-sacred spelling of these Names was used).
The entire piece, except for the walnut base, and the bead on top, is constructed of quilled paper, most of it edged with 23k gold. The physics of the paper coils, and the attachment strategy, make this box sturdy and fully functional. The dome on the top, which will receive the most wear, was coated with glaze for extra durability. The entire piece is 7″ tall, and 2 1/4″ square. The top is removable and there is a mesh bag inside to hold spices. The walnut base was created by Mel Turcanik, a Minnesota woodturner and friend.
Cost: $1025 Shipping is complementary.
