A hamsa is a good-luck charm in many cultures. This one includes the Hebrew word “Mazel”, which means luck or fortune. The design was inspired by Indian Mehndi tattoos. It is quilled, with some paper edged with 23k gold. The inner mat was covered with french marblized paper. It is 9 x 12.
Gilded Chai with Roses
The Hebrew word “Chai” means “life”. This one is made from raised 23k gold leaf. The leaves are edged with the same gold, and they and the flowers are made with quilling. This was inspired by the frame itself. It becamse a nice wedding piece. 5″ x5″.
Aleph-Bet
This is one of several aleph-bets I have made. Each image was created with quilling and gouache paint. It is fun to choose the words for each letter! The finished, framed piece is about 16 x 22. I have added people’s names in the empty corner squares, in place of the painted star.
Three Pilgrim Festivals
The Three Pilgrim Festivals
This depicts the three pilgrim festivals, or “shelosh regalim” . Passover is symbolized by Moses in the bullrushes, Shavuot is when the Torah was received at Mt Sinai, and for Sukkot, a booth or sukkah is constructed. On all three festivals, it was the custom to travel to Jerusalem to worship at the temple there. Different harvests were also celebrated at these times.
All That Matters
All That Matters
This is a colored pencil drawing, that I created as an entry for the 2006 Eli Lilly international art competition, for patients with cancer and their caregivers. I did not win the competition, but my artwork was chosen to be included in their book “Lilly Oncology on Canvas”.
The title is “All That Matters” and the caption reads “My husband struggled against a brain tumor for two years and two months before he lost. Somewhere in that second year, I learned that I had a little breast cancer. Our worlds narrowed; his to the nightstand he could see from his bed, and mine to caring for him and going for radiation. And yet, we would still speak to each other about our hopes and dreams for our daughter, about our loving and supportive families and friends, and about the joyful memories of our past. This is what kept us going, and is really all that matters.” collection Eli Lilly.
