A Four-Day Class!

Sharon Segal writes:

I took a 4-day watercolor class from Eric Wiegardt in December '08 at the Oregon Society of Artists in Portland. The class was enjoyable, and very intense at the same time. Eric's style of teaching is one-concept-a-day. First he demonstrates the idea all morning. He talks while he works. Then after lunch, we have the afternoon to try to integrate the ideas with a painting of our own.

A few interesting ideas that I took away from the class are:

- When you lose your lights in watercolor, your painting has ended (and not in a desirable way!)

- Value (degree of light or dark) is so important, more important than color. Before we begin our painting, Eric urged us to create a complete value study of what we are going to paint. You plan for your picture to have at least 3 - 5 values; not colors, but lights and darks.

- Design wins over reality!

- Have an "I'm having fun" attitude. Don't make the painting too precious.

I have heard many of the ideas that Eric had presented from other artists, but he presented them in a very concrete way.

I highly recommend his workshop.

Sharon Segal

The Gift

Leslie Elder writes:

I had started to feel a bit constricted by watercolor, like a horse wanting to bust out of the stall and gallop around a bit. I thought I might go back to my old friend, acrylic paint. I'd used acrylics a lot in the past. Looking around for my old tubes of acrylic, I couldn't find them anywhere. They probably dried out and I must have thrown them away, I thought.

Then I fantasized about trying oils, something I'd never done, except once when I was a child. But then the economy took a dive, and I figured I shouldn't go out and invest a lot of money at Art Media on a new paints. After all, I still had a pretty good supply of watercolor.

Then one day, while looking still further for those darned acrylic paints, I found a stash of my grandmother's 40+ year old oil paints in an old box. I squeezed the tubes gently and knew that they were still good! I had carted that box through all of our moves, but had never seriously examined it because I don't paint with oils. Now, I realized this might be the answer.

I started looking at the paints and realized that I had a treasure of oil paint, enought to last me for some time! I felt my grandmother's presence as I looked over the gift she had left me, silently sending her my love and gratitude and knowing that she was thrilled to be able to share the paint with me at last. She had loved art, and had always encouraged me in my artistic endeavors. What a blessing! I signed up for a studio oil painting portrait class (with models) at Multnomah Art Center. Who knows what will come of this wonderful gift?

Quilt Inspirations!

Laurie writes:

In November I was in Philadelphia visiting my grandchildren and noticed in the Jewish paper that there was a reception at the Museum of Art for the Gee's Bend Quilts. So I went on a guided tour of these magnificent quilts. The designs are intriguing. The early quilts, used as insulation lining the bare-bones cabins that the slaves lived in, were designs of roof tops and brick layers. Over decades and generations, the women branched out and the design forms became more free-form. See some examples at the following website:

www.auburn.edu/academic/other/geesbend/explore/catalog/slideshow/index.htm

The influence of these quilts will affect some future projects I am planning. Adaptations would be exquisite on my fabric vases, since my first series was mostly about "flowers."

In October I took a class on sewing curves and adding them into a quilt form. The class included construction of a small wall hanging. These techniques will take my sewing in a new direction, incorporating the sewing of curves on a flat surface. The new skills will open a wildly exciting avenue of possibilities.

I have ideas of adding Hebrew words and phrases into my fabric vase construction. I'm working on a fleece quilt for my grandson, and a wall hanging for our condo lobby. I also want to experiment more with the quilt designs that make another layer on top of the fabrics that are sewn together.

Laura Joy Designs

Hot Glass on a Cold Day

Eddy Shuldman writes:

Schools are closed today so I got to stay home and take care of some chores. Sorting through a file drawer of old papers kept my attention just so long.....TIME to play with glass.

I finished up the letters for a Challah plate commission and headed out to the shed where I keep the kilns.

The temperature out back was 25 degrees. You won't believe this, but that's too cold start the kiln!  Too funny!

Although the kiln will top out at 1450 degrees F in about 5 hours, I actually had to bring out a small space heater to preheat the controller so I could fire up the kiln!

The snow continues to fall and I have a choice....clean out another drawer or play with more glass ....hmmmmmmmmmmm...........

Oh... and here's the view looking out from my shed.

The Next Step

Rosana Berdichevsky writes:

In the last few weeks, I have been thinking that the time has come to take the plunge.

I have decided to make the effort and take care of all the details to apply to be juried for the bigger art shows. I will apply to the Lake Oswego Art Festival and for the Salem Art Festival. I know that they are huge and I also know that this is a challenge, but sometimes being scared and waiting for something to happen, it doesn't help us to really move forward. And I do want to move forward, whether I get accepted by the jury or not. I've got to try... if not, I will never know, right?

Wish me luck!

The Hunt

Sabina writes:

I'm pretty much wedded to using Arches l40 lb cold pressed paper, made in France, for my watercolors. There's something fundamental in my nature that says, "when you find something of quality, stick with it".

That said, I'm always on the hunt for stretching my boundaries and exploring. In the case of my watercolors, this hunt usually takes me in search of new and interesting papers. Often I'm disappointed with the way the new paper receives the color and the way it behaves under my corrections.

But I still search, enjoying the actual hunt as much as the "find", when it appears. The other day, at Goodwill of all places, I found two bound books of handmade paper..... rough and replete with textural variations, beautiful uneven edges, works of art in and of themselves. I can't wait to try them!

Snowbound

People often ask "does it snow in Portland?"

Yes, it does.

Today, for instance.

Art Everywhere

Gershon's cousin came to visit last week. After recently losing her husband of 60 years, she is determined to live her remaining years to the fullest. She is a painter, and sees everything around her in terms of "art." It was great fun to share in her enjoyment of Portland and Multnomah Falls, and it was amazing to watch her navigating her new-found discovery: the internet.

Lucille is not an art-snob. She takes it all in, and loves it all. Anything visually interesting or colorful is valid. With excitement, she showed me things she has found on the internet. Some were things I've seen; some were not. But it was fascinating to observe someone who is on one hand an old timer with great experience in art, and on the other hand a complete newcomer to the Global Village, seeing it with child-like wonder.

Just for fun, here are some of the links we looked at. Drop your guard, and open your eyes...

http://www.paulsmithfoundation.org/index.html

http://www.linkinn.com/_Ice_sculpture_exhibition_in_Moscow

http://users.skynet.be/J.Beever/

http://haha.nu/amazing/cappuccino-art/

http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2008/06/16/creative-food-art/

http://www.lartedellintaglio.it/

Hannukah Gift Fair

Some of our artists will be selling their work at Hadassah's annual Holiday Gift Fair this Sunday. Please come by, say hello, and maybe buy some nice Hannukah gifts!

Sunday, December 7, 2008
9 am - 4 pm
at Congregation Neveh Shalom
2900 Peaceful Lane
Portland, Oregon 97239

Zichron L'vracha

We join the world's Jewish community in mourning the tragic loss of Rabbi Gavriel & Rivka Holtzberg in Mumbai, India.

There are no words to express our grief and outrage...

Shabbat Shalom.

Difficult Projects

Earlier I wrote about my struggles with a Holocaust memorial piece, and here it is, reflected in a mirror. It depicts barbed wire, the yellow star of the Jewish ghetto, bloodshed, and the word YIZKOR, or memorial.

It is a sheath of tiny beads, which fits over a standard 24-hour Yizkor candle-in-a-glass. This one fought me every inch of the way, but I did finish it, and I'm pleased with it.

I don't know why my camera couldn't capture the purple color at the bottom, but use your imagination....

I have a number of these memorial candle covers shown on my web page. This is the first one to commemorate the Shoah, and it was by far the hardest I've done.

Have YOU wrestled with a difficult project? Click on "comments" and share with us!

Better Late Than Never

It seems we never posted the update on the CHAIRS that our members created for the Chair Affair this past spring. Each chair now has its very own page on the website of the Community Warehouse. Take a look... you'll see pix of our own wonderful artists and their chair creations, as well as a blurb on each one. (And an extra bonus: photos are by our Neveh Shalom Rebbetzin, Carol Isaak.) Months later, I'm still kvelling....

http://www.communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair/2008event/artists/shuldman.html

http://www.communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair/2008event/artists/esterkin.html

Celebration At Last !!

People are wondering why I haven't written about our CELEBRATION OF ART yet. Good question! Mainly, I was really tired afterward, and overwhelmed with the aftermath. But also, it was so emotional, it's hard to put it down on paper... or monitor screen!

It was a wonderful event, and a big success. It was the culmination of so much work and worry and hope. And coming two days after the worst week in the stock market's history, with Americans stunned and terrified, we didn't know what to expect. Would people come? Could people buy?

Well, people were wonderful! They came, and they bought. Many people couldn't spend the way they wanted, and some couldn't spend at all. But they came, they schmoozed, they smiled, they hugged. It was really lovely.

The JCC Ballroom is beautiful, and was a great setting for this gathering of Jewish artists and patrons. Rosanne had planned everything down to the smallest detail, and Carolyn and Zack kept everything running smoothly. It was such a luxury... all we had to do was show up, set up, and enjoy the moment! All the months of work and worry paid off.

This was our first show with guest artists, and we were very happy with this addition. It made for a very full show, with lots of variety, and lots of happy customers.

And the displays! People were really touched by the table featuring the work of artists from Rose Schnitzer Manor. And everywhere you turned were beautiful displays of beautiful art. The booths in the middle of the room were so dramatic, and all around were first-time exhibitors interspersed with seasoned pros, each tempting and rewarding to visit.

Rewarding is a good word. It all turned out to be a rewarding experience, something we're glad we did. And soon we'll gather the energy to start planning next year's Celebration!

I'll put up a whole page of photos soon, but here are some to get us started. Click on any picture to see it enlarged:

Tired Mama

Our Celebration of ART was a great success!! Great location, great staff, great artists, and great customers. I'm so happy, and soooooo tired!! More details soon. Meanwhile, Mazal Tov to everyone who participated, and Thank You to everyone who attended!

There's a Kind of Hush...

Our show is tomorrow. After months of hustle and bustle, meetings, computers, e-mails, errands and phone calls, there is now an amazing quiet between us. It's up to each of us individually now, getting our own work done, planning our displays, perhaps panicking a little bit privately. Yom Kippur imposed a mandatory stop on all fretting and activity, and now we each have a very finite period of time to get it all finalized.

Even when I've seen fellow group members in the last few days, there hasn't been much discussion of particulars; just a quiet "are you ready?" accompanied by a small smile, or just "See you Sunday." It's fascinating how personal it becomes in the last moments.

So I'm taking a minute out of my own private preparation to comment on this phenomenon. And I also want to wish every one of our artists a very successful and gratifying experience tomorrow.

Hatzlacha!!!

Proud Mama

I can't help it. I will gladly admit that I am NOT objective on this subject. But also, I know I'm right!!

Eddy and I went to the Local 14 art show yesterday at the Forestry Center. I definitely enjoyed the show, and saw some gorgeous things, but I just kept thinking about the various artists we have in our own show, coming up on Sunday. And I had to suppress a little giggle because.... it's gonna be SO GREAT!!! In my not-so-objective mind, I think we have artists just as good as some I saw yesterday, but none of the so-so offerings.

I left feeling pretty jazzed about our show, and went home and put up our new Guest Artists page. Even though I don't have photos from every single guest, I just had to put it up, so people can see the variety and quality we will be sharing! Check it out... i think you'll be impressed!

http://www.northwestjewishartists.org/guests2008.html

Leslie Does It Again!

Our wonderful painter Leslie Elder let it slip that her watercolor painting
"Tea with Iris" has been juried into the Fall Watercolor Society of Oregon show. The show will be at the Events Center in Florence, Oregon and will open October 4th from 4:30-5:30pm. The show will hang until October 29th.

For further info about the show and the Watercolor Society, visit their website: www.watercolorsocietyoforegon.com

Of course, if you can't get out to Florence, you can come see lots of Leslie's beautiful paintings at our CELEBRATION OF ART on October 12th!! As you know by now, it will be held at from 10 am - 4 pm at MJCC. See you there!

Broken Thread

I'm in a fight-to-the-finish struggle with my latest beading project. It became apparent early in the process that this one would be a test. First, the thread kept breaking and tangling. Then, one of the beads broke, which meant I had to re-do a whole section of the project. It was tempting to give up at that point. But I've come to recognize that this is a challenge to my determination. And I am VERY determined: this project will be completed, and it will be exhibited. So I bit the bullet, and re-did that whole section.

Finally the beadwork was completed, and it was time to fit it over the glass candle holder. Guess what? It didn't fit! The beading was so tight (yes, that's what broke the bead), it actually broke the glass!! I'll tell you... the sight of all that broken glass in my hands was very powerful, especially since this is a Holocaust Yizkor candle!

So, what does one do at that point? How can it work as a Yizkor candle cover if it won't fit over the glass? Well, first I sulked for a few days. Then I sat down with a whole box of yizkor candle glasses, and tried every single one, till I found one that fits! It turns out that different brands are slightly different sizes, and the weird brand from Israel fits just fine. Heh-heh! Point for Esther.

But this thing doesn't give up! It turned out that the glass I chose was cracked. Sigh, back to the box. I found another that would work, but the candle is very firmly melted into the glass, and I'm having a surprisingly hard time getting it out. Fear not, though, I will prevail. The candle will come out, the label will come off, and the candle will go back in properly. And this piece WILL be exhibited at our Art Show on October 12th.

It's a Holocaust piece, it's important, and it's been an amazing challenge. But I am determined to have my artistic voice be heard. After the show, I will post a picture of the finished piece here. But I hope everyone will come and see it in person.

Celebration of Art
Sunday, October 12, 2008
10 am - 4 pm
at MJCC
6651 SW Capitol Hwy, Portland

The Benefit of Playing Mah Jongg

I had a great time yesterday, playing Mah Jongg at a luncheon to benefit the Oregon Jewish Museum. We had wonderful Asian food, played a lot of Mah Jongg, and had a chance to schmooze with the Museum director, Judith Margles.

As you may recall, Judith and OJM have been very supportive of our group, so it was a double pleasure for me to participate in this event.

As for YOU, you'll want to check out the current and upcoming exhibits at the museum. Great things are in store for you!

Look Ma - We're Famous!

We've got a lovely article in this week's Jewish Review, all about our upcoming Celebration of Art, and the journey which has led us to holding it at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. The Review was very generous with their space for us this year, and even included 4 color pictures! We're tickled pink - and blue and green and yellow and....

Sabina Wohlfeiler did a great job of making the contact with the Jewish Review, getting them the information, and following up to make sure everything worked out. Kudos Sabina! And thanks to Paul Haist at the Review for guiding the process along to fruition. This means a lot to us! We're also very grateful to a certain journalist who helped us get this article started. Not sure if he wants his name listed, so for now I'll just wink and say thank you!

To see the whole article, check this week's Jewish Review (the High Holidays edition), or read it online at:
www.jewishreview.org/Northwest-Jewish-Artist-book-exhibt-at-MJCC

Or you can see it on the "articles" page of our ORA website:
www.northwestjewishartists.org/articles.html

Note: Several artists' names were accidentally cut off in the printed version of the paper. But they are all included in both of these online versions.

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The Artists are Coming!!

We had a pre-show meeting this week, and got our booth assignments. WE also got to meet a lot of our guest artists, some for the first time. It was great to match some faces to the names and the artwork! I'm getting excited about this show. There's going to be such beauty, and such wonderful variety! We have a great team running the show, and a beautiful facility to house it. There will be artists to meet, and lots of art to CELEBRATE!!

Keep an eye on the "Artists" page of our website. Soon there will be a new page added, featuring this year's Guest Artists. I think you're going to like it!!!

And be sure to mark your calendar:

Celebration of Art
Sunday, October 12, 2008
10 am - 4 pm
MJCC
6651 SW Capitol Highway
Portland 97219

See you there!

23 Vessels of Love

Eddy Shuldman writes:

A little over a week ago I completed my largest commission to date. In late May a friend asked me to make 20 blue wedding bowls that could be used as table centerpieces for her daughter’s wedding. The bowls are 15” in diameter and have the Hebrew word for love “Ahavah” in the center using dichroic glass letters. Her plan was to fill them with water and float candles in them. It became clear that given the size of my kiln and owning only one large bowl mold, I’d have to make a second shaped vessel and we agreed on an 11” square origami dish.

Then I broke my leg! I had plans to go to Europe and so I went. Upon my return I moved into production mode although my leg created a few obstacles in the process.

So what did I learn?
• It is possible to travel in Europe on crutches!
• Crutches force one to become more creative
• I am no longer excited by blue glass. I’m sure that will pass!
• Production work is NOT what I want to do.
• Variations on a theme allow you some sanity and provoke creativity.
• Mass production requires planning, organization and a commitment to get the job done.
• It probably sounds a little “woo-woo” but the glass really seems to flow when I stay focused on the spiritual side of my work. I think about the recipient, I try to “feel” the movement in the glass and suddenly the work just “comes.”

Best of all, I learned how to apply this last skill to being more efficient and economical in my work as I now prepare for our Celebration of Art show in October.
Oh yeah....and no more more crutches!!!!!! yay!

--
Eddy Shuldman
SPARKS OF SPIRIT Glass
www.northwestjewishartists.org/eddy.html

Fabric Vase?!!

Tell the truth: when Laurie said she's working on Fabric Vases, didn't you wonder what in the world that was? Well, she revealed them yesterday! Check this out... it's so beautiful! And you put a jar of water inside for the flowers. How cool is that??

(Okay, I will admit that I might actually have to use it as a purse, but don't tell Laurie, okay?)

Come see more of these incredible creations at our Celebration of Art on October 12th at MJCC.

Meanwhile, see Laurie's web page: www.northwestjewishartists.org/laura.html

A Day of Art

It was a wonderful day, full of art, music, and celebration. First we all attended the Bat Mitzvah of Diane's daughter, Emma. What an experience! The congregation does almost the whole service in song, and the "regulars" do all sorts of beautiful harmonies. I loved it! And then the visual... they meet in a church, but have all sorts of cool textile hangings to bring about a Jewish environment. Of course, there were some very recognizable hand-painted silk items!! And then there was Emma... what an impressive girl! Most kids don't take on that much material in their drash, nor at such a serious level. But she took it on, and handled it well! I was very impressed. That girl is gonna go places!

After the service, there was a lovely lunch reception, and we had a great time playing Jewish Geography with people at our table.

Then the ORA women piled into Eddy's van, and headed over to Art In The Pearl. We weren't there to shop, but just to look. It was fun to analyze how various artists had set up their displays, and also to watch the reactions of the crowds to some of them. Of course, I tend to reach overload pretty quickly, but still got some good ideas. And they have a full weekend of live music there too. I even got to listen to some Balkan music... have I ever mentioned how much I like Balkan music?

But I digress. If you didn't get to Art In The Pearl this year, definitely go next year. It's always on Labor day. These are high-class artists, and it's fascinating to see both the art and the people. Here's their website: www.artinthepearl.com

And if you DID go this year, click on Comments, and share your observations!

Start As You Mean To Go

When we complete a significant project or process, we often say the "Shehechiyanu" blessing. But we don't really have a prayer for beginning the project. There's a prayer for a safe journey, but it really doesn't fit. I asked a Rabbi friend, who suggested that one might say their own prayer, and/or make a charitable donation to coincide with starting a project.

So I'm pondering what would be a good prayer to say when I begin a new project of significant size. And since I love to hear from other people, I'm putting the question out to YOU: do you have a special prayer or ritual when you start a project? Especially a work of art? What about when you finish? Just click "Comments" below, and share with us.

Work, Work Work!

My co-blogger-on-leave, Lynn Dorman, thought it was funny that I was blogging at 1:00 am. I explained that I love to get work done at that hour, including my beadwork. There are no distractions from phone, TV, kids, dogs, doorbell, etc., so I can actually concentrate. It's the only time I can even begin to create web pages!

Now, I know it's not the norm to do your work so late at night, but I can't imagine how people get anything serious done during the day. So tell me: what's your favorite time to get work done (especially art), and why? Just hit "comments" and let's have some dialogue.

Sneak Preview

P-s-s-s-s-s-t-t-t-t-t! I got a sneak peek today at the Tallit that Diane is making for her daughter's Bat Mitzvah. My, my my..... this woman has a way with silk! It's NOT the one shown here, but this one's cool too.

(Insert shameless plug here... ) You've just gotta come see Diane's Tallitot, Challah covers, Chuppot and wall hangings.... you know when, right? That's right, Sunday October 12th at MJCC !

What Laurie is Doing

Besides working hard on our upcoming Celebration of Art, fabric artist Laurie Fendel gives us a peek at what she's working on now:

I'm working on designing fabric vases... 10 layers and 3-dimensional. I will also do several trapunto pieces. They are also 3 dimensional - stuffed from behind. I'd like to have a variety of sizes - some small pieces to hang in niche places. I'm excited to try new fabrics and textures, perhaps even incorporate photos put onto fabric and blend into collage wall hangings.

The rest of us can't wait to see these pieces!!

Sensory Overload

A 3-hour drive in each direction, a 3-hour class with a famous beading "Diva," an 8-hour class with a math-genius beader, a cheap hotel, and a full-sized bead show with over 50 bead vendors... squeeze all of these into one weekend, and you have serious Sensory Overload!

Of course, I enjoyed every minute of it. But when I got home, I was exhausted for at least a week! All-in-all, I'd say that my weekend at the Puget Sound Bead Festival was a total success. I really loved both of the classes I took, and was pleasantly surprised at how BIG the vendor show has become. Waaaaay more vendors than I (or my wallet) expected.

I'm posting pictures of how my class projects are SUPPOSED to look.... because mine aren't exactly finished... and probably won't look as nice as these. But you get the basic idea of the crazy stuff I was working on.

And of course, every time you take a new class, it's so stimulating. You start getting all sorts of new ideas, and that's what I was hoping for. If you haven't taken a class lately, try it! You'll like it!

................................
"The Curl" .................................."Entangled Cubes"
by Jeanette Cook......................... by Judy Walker

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What Diane is Doing

You asked what I've been up to.... I had a commission to make a tallit 6 feet long and 4-1/2 feet wide. I was up for the challenge because I figure that whatever G-d sends my way, is not more then I can handle. I tried to make it and failed two times. I went through loads of silk and a lot of stress mixed with a lack of self confidence which is something I tend to struggle with from time to time.

Then came two more orders for oversized tallitot so I decided to figure this bad boy out. The big professional steamer (which is part of my color securing processing) from a company would cost about $1,200. Although I realize you have to spend money to make money......we have one child in braces, one ready to get braces and one Bat Mitzvah coming up!!!! Choices. So I called an engineer friend of mine who looked at the professional one and said he would build me one for a heck of a lot less -- and did. It works GREAT.

The other thing I did right before Passover this year was to gift Rabbis Lori and Gary of Gesher a painting, on canvas, to help decorate their tent. I just love all the work they do for the Jewish community and felt I wanted to give them soothing. They suggested a painting because it gets wet out there. I have never painted on canvas. It was huge, as I never do things the easy way or ease into something. The finished piece is 8 ft. x 3 ft. As with many of my pieces, the colors chosen have deeper meaning. Anyhow....they were happy, or so they said!!!!!

This summer I am going to have some pieces in the Kallah that is happening in Bend the July 4th weekend. (I will not be attending because we are taking a trip back east). I also have six tallit orders in the works, our show coming up October 12 ----not to mention running 6 weeks of Art Waves Summer camps held for kids at St. Marks on Terwilliger Blvd. Oh yeah, and my daughter's Bat Mitzvah this fall.... whew!!

Ageless Art

Several members of our group had the honor of attending the art exhibit today at Rose Schnitzer Manor. As part of their 10th Anniversary celebration, they staged an amazing display of artwork done by resident artists. There was also work by some of the wonderful volunteers, and a separate exhibit of work by various local artists, depicting residents and activities at RSM.

This experience was thought-provoking on many levels. It was bittersweet and also inspiring. Some of the work was recent, some was done 40 years ago, but perfectly current in its appearance. Some works were professional quality, while some were just pleasant projects done at in-house classes. Some of the artists are still working, others have abandoned the brushes for various reasons. Some were present and happy to discuss their work, others were not.

We joked about mounting our own show when we all live there, but in truth I couldn't help but feel sad at the prospect of one day abandoning my needle & beads. I remembered the day my grandfather handed down his thread and needles to me, because arthritis forced him to end his career as a tailor.

One sweet moment today was overhearing a volunteer encouraging one of the residents to "let go" and allow herself to create new pieces without trying to match her previous works. She explained that the woman's first work was her most successful, because she wasn't trying to emulate anything else. It was good advice, and indicated that the young woman had really given some serious thought to the older woman's frustration. I found it very moving.

All in all, it was a wonderful and emotional experience. I hope they make this a regular event, and that many Portland artists will come and enjoy the inspiration.

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On the Move

Our members don't stay still for long!

- Eddy is vacationing in Amsterdam and Italy, enjoying wine, cheese, and a LOT of museums!

- Laurie is in Los Angeles, visiting the new grandchild again! (She's also working some magic for our group, but more on that later...)

- Sabina is about to leave for Wisconsin...

-Leslie's going to Israel this summer....

- Rosana and Ricardo are moving next week into their new condo!

I'm sure a lot of new artworks will come out of all these great experiences... just wait and see!

New Location for Celebration of Art!

At last it can be revealed.... our upcoming CELEBRATION OF ART will be held at.... drumroll please.... Mittleman JCC!! The beautiful Ballroom of MJCC will be the setting for this year's ORA art show, featuring our own members, plus over 15 guest artists!

The date will be Sunday, October 12, 2008. Mark your calendars now... don't say you didn't have advance notice!

We are very excited about this new location for our annual art show and sale. MJCC is central to the Jewish community, so we feel it's a fitting place for our group. The facility is beautiful, with lots of parking, and the J Cafe right there on the premises. This is another big step for us, and we hope you'll come see us in this elegant setting.

Awesome Art!!

Today was our jurying of prospective guest artists for our show this autumn. It was wonderful to see how many artists submitted work, and how many of them were good! Acceptance and regret letters will go out later this week, and soon after that I hope to have pictures to post on our website.

This is a very exciting step for our fledgeling group. And it's amazing how much effort and coordination is required to make it happen. I'm impressed by how fast we were able to put the whole thing together; it was a result of many people really "stepping up."

To everyone who submitted art, kudos for putting your work out there, and good luck!

To our professional jurors, thank you so much for contributing your time and expertise!

To those ORA members who took this particular ball and ran with it, KOL HAKAVOD!

More Classes!

Rosana is taking a class this month called "Alternative Supports and Surfaces for Collage." This class will teach how to create more three-dimensional pieces using other backgrounds as supports. Can't wait to see what cool new things Rosana creates after this class!

And I (Esther) will be taking two advanced beadwork classes this summer. One, taught by famed beading pioneer Jeanette Cook, is called "Mastering the Curl," and should be awesome. The other, with award-winning Judy Walker, is called "Entangled Cubes Necklace." Don't tell anyone I said this, but it looks a little daunting! But I'm up for a good challenge.... right??

What are YOU taking???? Click on "comments" to brag...

A Bright Idea

I've been waiting to update the home page of our ORA website, until we had our new member roster set in May. I thought we would be adding some new members. But actually, it worked out differently. A few people are taking a leave, and we're putting off new memberships until after the October show. So for the moment, there are only 9 full-fledged members. But I have all these cool pages I worked so hard on for the departing members, and I hate to waste them. So I came up with the idea of starting an Alumni page! This way, we still have access to those people's pages.

So I re-did the home page to reflect our current members, and I re-did the "Artists" page, adding a link to a new "Alumni" page. I got lots of compliments right away, so I feel good about it. Soon there will also be a new page for this Fall's guest artists. Stay tuned!

Always Learning

ORA member Leslie Elder is currently attending a watercolor class with nude models at Multnomah Art Center in Portland. This term the class is taught by Carol Humpage. "Painting with a live model, working quickly," Leslie says, "is great to loosen up my style. I'm really pleased with what it's doing for my artwork. The loosening effect flows over into my non-figurative work. Most recently I've been doing florals, because I have so many flowers in my yard now, and I have been applying the same loose, quick style that I use when working with the models in class."

"I would highly recommend working with live models to all painters. I go to Multnomah Art Center because they have sessions during the day on weekdays, which are good for me. Many of the classes there are more on the beginners level. Other studios that I have heard are good are: Hipbone Studios, as well as PNCA which has open studio sessions. The contact number for the sessions at PNCA is 503-659-4261."

Let's hear your Comments: what class(es) are you taking? What kind of art class has been most helpful or meaningful to you? Inquiring minds want to know!

Call for Artists!

ORA is inviting Northwest Jewish guest artists to participate in our 'CELEBRATION OF ART' show this fall. Artists will be juried to select up to 15 guests to join us in this special show.

Jurying will take place on Sunday, June 1, 2008.
The art show will take place on Sunday, October 12, 2008.

This is an art show, not a craft fair or holiday sale.
Please click here for more information, and a link to the Jury Process Application.

Lynn the blogger on leave this year

I am taking a leave from ORA this year and I am not sure how much of the blogging I will do as I won't be at meetings or the show/sales.

Esther, my co-blogger, and I will meet for lunch to discuss this and see how we can work it out.

Me? I will be heavily engaged in political activity through election day..

Will I take pictures? Sure - I have to keep the record of my journey ongoing so I can add to my Exodus story [for when I put it in ebook format as many of you suggested at and after the show at the OJM..]

The Buzz

Exciting things are brewing at ORA! Maybe a new venue for our big show this fall, and... guest artists!!! So far it's a big secret, but stay tuned right here.. check back often to see the big news!
Talk among yourselves: what's your favorite place in Portland for an art show?


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New Pictures!

Our website has a new page, full of beautiful pictures from our recent Exodus and Miriam exhibits. Take a look, and drop a note to your favorite artists with your comments!

http://www.northwestjewishartists.org/ExodusMiriam.html