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

Working With a Theme

Working with a theme was a recent challenge for our artists. We agreed to work on "Miriam" for the Women's Day of Jewish Learning. And since our exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum was just a few weeks before that, we chose a related theme.... "Exodus: Our Journeys."

It sounded good at the time. But then came the reality of creating something. As artists, some of us are accustomed to working "when the inspiration strikes." Sometimes we don't work on art until that magic moment comes. But when a required theme meets a finite deadline, it's a new ballgame! Many of us felt stress, some of us waited till the last possible minute, but all of us came up with something! And most of us felt really GOOD about the resulting art.

Of course, some artists actually use something called "discipline," forcing themselves to work on their art every day, or at least every week. Some people keep a written journal of ideas, so they have something to turn to when they feel un-inspired. But for some of us, this was a distinctly new experience, creating art on demand. It might sound hollow or artificial, but actually it was exhilarating. I think all of us felt really good about stretching as artists, and growing as professionals.

But still, I hope we'll have a LOT of lead time for our next themed exhibit!!


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Website Update

What's New? Well, Sharon, Sabina, Leslie, Lynn, Laurie, Eddy & Rosana all have newly updated pages on our website. Take a look! (Click on link below.)

www.northwestjewishartists.org/artists

ORA Artist Spotting

Now you can find the work of our bead artist, Esther Liberman, available for sale at AFIKOMEN Jewish bookstore & gift shop in Berkeley, California.

Esther's glass-bead kippot and Hamsa pendants are now for sale at Afikomen. If you're anywhere in the Bay Area, make a point of visiting this wonderful store. Not only do they have every kind of Jewish book you could possibly want, they also have an amazing array of ritual items and works by Jewish artists from all over the world.

Afikomen Judaica
3042 Claremont Ave
Berkeley, CA 94705
510.655.1977
877.284.2345

Women's Day of Jewish Learning

Several of us displayed our art at this function....

While I await photos from those who took them - I will post what I displayed...

This was my explanation of my work....Except for photos from Jerusalem, I do not do what I call Judaic themes - but I liked that I was pushed to do a Miriam theme for this event.....

Titles: Miriam, Moses and the River [ 1 and 2]

Water has always been a source of inspiration for me and this collage is uses photographs of the Columbia River and important people in my life.

The collage was done on my computer using both digital and scanned photos some of which were stylized and then all compiled using Photoshop Elements.

Click on the images to enlarge them

Theme Exhibit: MIRIAM

On Sunday, March 9th, the Women's Day of Jewish Learning will take place at Mittelman Jewish Community Center. A day of classes, workshops, and fellowship, this year's theme is the prophetess MIRIAM. Joining this year's event will be a new exhibit by ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists, featuring works of art exploring the many sides of Miriam's story and continuing influence.

If you're participating in the event, or if you're in the area, drop in to see our exhibit and chat with our artists! We'll be there from 8:30 am to 2:30 pm.

Mittleman Jewish Community Center
6651 SW Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97219
Phone: 503.244.0111

Oregon Jewish Museum

Today's Oregonian has an article about the Oregon Jewish Museum [see article HERE] in which ORA artists were mentioned as one of their recent shows.

Here is another photo from our "Exodus" opening - it's the director, Judy Margles, and our floral display, the wine and munchies.... and a fabric sculpture by our own Laura Joy Fendel.

Perfect for a "little princess wanna-be," this beautiful chair once looked like this.


Now it looks like this.








You've got to see this chair up close to appreciate the artistry. Complete with crown, this chair will transport a little girl to her fairyland castle!


Artists Diane Fredgant, Laura Fendel and Robin Esterkin have crafted an exceptional chair that will be auctioned off at the community warehouse.

Eddy's chair, see post below, has been transformed into a fountain. It is was hard to photograph (glass always is!).


The fountain is called "Waters of Life". It pumps 66 gallons of water an hour.


The Chair Affair will have Eddy's glassy chair and the princess-wanna be chairs on the auction block to benefit the COMMUNITY WAREHOUSE.

Professional photos of these chairs will soon appear on the Community Warehouse website:
http://communitywarehouse.org/chairaffair/index.html and click on the chair affair for details.

Let's hope these two donations bring in some needed cash to support needy families in our community.

Eddy's Chair

Eddy writes:
The CHAIR AFFAIR is a wonderful fundraising event that benefits Portland's Community Warehouse. You can help this incredible non-profit organization by attending the auction in April. To learn more about the warehouse or the variety of ways you could support them, go to communitywarehouse.org

I am excited to announce that three ORA members (Diane, Laura and Robin) are crafting a brilliant chair for this affair....(pictures coming soon, I hope!)......

.....and I am flying solo on a separate chair.

Months ago I selected a chair from the warehouse (see the picture) . It developed cracks in the wood (my son sat on it) and every attempt to repair it simply yielded more cracks! Monday brought even more cracks. I proclaimed it the CHAIR FROM HELL then drove to to the warehouse to pick up another chair (smaller but sturdier!- see the little black chair photo).

Thanks to the help of my husband and his circular saw, my wooden reinforcements are now in place. The glass work begins tonight!

My glassy chair won't provide cush for anyone's tusch, but it will offer relief from the stress of daily life. Stay tuned for updates!....Eddy

First Thursday - A Success!

Our First Thursday opening night was a huge success. A steady crowd arrived between 5-8pm and at 8:15 , with sadness, we announced that the museum really needed to close.


At first, there was a lot of schmoozing - but as the evening progressed, talk turned to discussions about the works of art. Artists explained their work, discussed their techniques, inspirations, tools and this Exodus journey.

We are most grateful to Judy Margles and the Oregon Jewish Museum for hosting us and each artist will donate a piece of art for the museum's upcoming art auction.

If you weren't able to see our exhibit on First Thursday - come on down to the museum. Our show continues through February 24th!

OJM
310 W Davis Street

A comment from Eddy afer viewing our Exodus Journeys

After everyone left our set up at the Oregon Jewish Museum I took one last look around. This is what I saw:

Diane Fredgant's brilliance on silk: creation, the red sea, blessings, journeys, explosions of color!

Sharon Segal's suitcase series that create memories of travels we've had and travels we've only dreamed of.

Laura Joy Fendel takes us to Miriam's well; a three dimensional fabric piece that makes you want to drink the rich deep blue waters of healing.

Robin Esterkin's portraits of women and men that recall another century.

Sara Harwin's geometric newest ultrasuede interpretations of hebrew words and their deeper meanings.

Esther Liberman's meticulous beadwork (a journey in the making, no doubt): a memorial candle for Miriam, and jewelry exquisite beyond words!

Leslie Elder's luscious water colors depicting a family's journey to Ein Gedi, the dance of Miriam, and more.

Rosana Berdichevsky's collages that blend words and images and color that bring you comfort- that bring you home.

Sabina Wohlfeiler has taken us to her childhood as a displaced person in Germany to her arrival in the US, and now to her artistic visions as a contemporary painter.

Lynn Dorman has created a delightful photographic album of her Exodus from the east coast to the promised land of Portland.

....and I'm feeling pretty good about the glass seder plate I created to honor the memory of six women who survived the Holocaust and became role models for me.

Yes, there is even more than I have described here.....!

If you're still reading this, please join us for our opening. Most of us will be there to welcome you.
Robin, Rosana, and Julie....we wish you all speedy healing.

Eddy Shuldman

The show is hung!

We spent the morning at the museum - and with the great eye of Fred Harwin directing us - we hung and placed our work for the upcoming show!

Thank you to Fred.

Here is a photo of us, and Fred, when we were done!







More photos and some video will be taken prior to the opening night and will be posted after that.



The show, EXODUS: OUR JOURNEYS, opens February 7th from 5-8 and is a part of first Thursday.

Oregon Jewish Museum
310 NW Davis
Portland Oregon

Show runs then thru February 24th....

My "Exodus"

Exodus: My Own Journey - [now on the wall of the Oregon Jewish Museum...along with the journeys of all the other memebrs of ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists.]

How I dealt with this project : - )

For months my mind had been a blank on what and how to do this project for the Museum.

In December I remembered:

1 -that my son had asked me to write down some tidbits about my life as he was interested in "things I used to do" - so for him - I had started that... He even gave me a sort of title: From Cambria Heights to Portland.

2- over the last few years I have been sorting through family and my own photos - over 70 years of pictures - yow!

3 - it was exactly 40 years between my leaving New York City and arriving in Portland...

All this can not be a coincidence I said.

And voila - From Cambria Heights to Bridgeton Road: my 40 year journey to the promised land - was born!

At least the idea was there but no logistics - except my mind was focused on maps and photos. I yelled "help" to old friends and new for over a month - and suddenly the other day one local friend came up with an idea from a magazine she was looking at - and I also put out a "help" request on a mastermind business call that same night. Guess what - a woman on the call had seen something similar to the magazine idea with an added component - and so the planets aligned for me - the two ideas gelled and I am now in the process of putting the idea onto foam boards that will be hung in the Museum this Sunday for the opening next week!

There really are no coincidences - I have always been a believer in the idea that everything fits together and this is what is meant to be.

The OJM display is an abridged version of the journey and I am thinking of doing an ebook [later] using many more of my writings and photos and dedicating it to my son...[ of course!]

You can see all the journeys on opening night - February 7th...from 5 to 8 PM - part of first Thursday
310 NW Davis Street

Coming in early February - Exodus!

February 7 – 24, 2008

ORA: Northwest Jewish Artists present

EXODUS: OUR JOURNEYS


New Exhibit at the Oregon Jewish Museum

A year ago OJM hosted our first show, Breishit: In the Beginning.

This year we return to the museum on February 7 with a new exhibit - Exodus: Our Journeys.



This exhibit is an artistic and spiritual exploration of Torah text, of personal and artistic journeys. Works on display will include collage, paint, silk, fiber, precious metals, beadwork, glass, and photography.




Miriam Dancing by Diane Fredgant


Our exhibit will run from February 7 through February 24, 2008.

Please join us for a FIRST THURSDAY opening on February 7, 2008, 5-8 p.m.

A Yummy Meeting

We held our 1st meeting of the year yesterday and had decided to do a pot luck lunch meeting - also a 1st.

Not surprisingly, we are all good cooks/bakers and the foods were delicious.

Hmmm.......wouldn't be surprised if we decided to do a cookbook filled with our favorite recipes and of course, our art : - ).

Pull Up a Chair!

Diane, Robin and Laurie are designing a chair for The Chair Affair Benefit for The Community Warehouse.

For more information on The Community Warehouse click here.

"We were laughing and squealing and screaming with sheer delight over our ideas !!! Any little girl would LOVE this chair. "

"I guess I'm just a little girl at heart" said Laurie..... "last week I needed to buy something at Home Depot and as I walked in I saw a play house.... castle in front of the building. I ran over to it , went inside, and believe me when I tell you that if I had 1,600 extra dollars I would have bought that play house just for Moi ! I always loved play houses as a child and I still do. It had bay windows, and shutters. I was never fortunate to have a real play house as a child but I'll always dream of it."

This group chair has:

Queens and Crowns
Kingdoms
wishes
dreams
luxury
reading about fantasy and fairy tales
frou frou
ruffles
all things girly

The chair incorporates pinks, golds, glitter, snow globes, velvet and capes, into storybook magical lands.

"So jump onto the magic carpet and come away with us to fantasy land as we turn ideas and smiles into reality."

Read more about the Chair Affair and see where the chairs will be viewable.

An update from Esther

It was long, and we were tired, but the Holiday Market at the French American International School http://www.faispdx.org/home was a success!

Rosana and I had tables right next to each other, which was nice. It was entertaining to watch all the goings-on, from students on stilts, to classes singing Christmas carols, to contortionists, to the French wine guys flirting with the young women, to kids trying to persuade Moms that they need their ears pierced.... you get the idea. And in between, Rosana and I each sold a healthy amount of work, so we were happy.

That's my last show of the season, so now I can turn my attention to our next ORA exhibit.
This is a challenge.... "Exodus: Our Journeys." Hmmmmm.....

More on our versions of Exodus coming soon - but save the date

Feb 7 - 24, 2008
Oregon Jewish Museum
http://www.ojm.org

Friday and Saturday

Rosana Berdichevsky and Esther Liberman will be exhibiting their artwork at the annual Holiday Market at Portland's French American International School [This is a fund raiser for the school.]

Friday, Dec. 7th 3pm - 6pm
Saturday, Dec. 8th 9am to 6pm
Free admission.

8500 NW Johnson St, Portland 97229. Corner of Cornell & Miller Roads.
More info: http://www.faispdx.org

This event includes food and gift vendors, a Parisian Cafe, and wine tasting from several local and international wineries.

Sounds yummy - art, food and wine - a great mix

About our artists

Once in a while one of our artists will be highlighted....today it is Esther Liberman of Lake Oswego, Oregon.

Esther is a beadwork artist specializing in beaded jewelry and Judaic ritual objects. She is known for her Kippot made entirely of glass beads, and her detailed Mezuzot and Yahrzeit candle covers created with thousands of tiny beads. Local customers also love her unique Mah Jongg bracelets and Hamsa pendants.

She holds a degree in Ethnic Arts and throughout her studies, she continued to be fascinated by the beads and needlework.

"I have done every kind of needle work imaginable," she says, "but I keep coming back to the beads. They just speak to me; they always have. The dance of various cultures is best accentuated by beaded costumes, and the music by beaded gourds!"

Liberman loves to explore the possibilities presented by mixing traditional forms with modern materials and aesthetics. Tribal African beads shine in modern jewelry, while ancient Hebrew texts are revisited with computer-produced beads.

Esther is a co-founder of ORA - our Portland art collective and completed an ambitious website for the group which can be visited at www.northwestjewishartists.org.

Her own personal website can be seen at www.geocities.com/estherbeads.

Her work will be for sale at the upcoming Hadassah Fair this Sunday - November 18th from 9 am - 4 pm.
This is held at Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland.
More info: http://www.portlandhadassah.org

Liberman will also be selling her work at at the annual Holiday Market at Portland's French American International School, which is a fundraiser for the school. This sale takes place Friday, Dec. 7th 3pm - 6pm and Saturday, Dec. 8th 9am to 6pm. Free admission.

8500 NW Johnson St, Portland 97229. Corner of Cornel & Miller Roads.
More info: http://www.faispdx.org

This event includes food & gift vendors, a Parisian Cafe, and wine tasting from several local & international wineries. (It IS French, you know : o ) ]

Upcoming places to see some of us

Esther, Diane, and Julie will be exhibiting at Hadassah's annual Holiday Gift Fair

Sunday November 18th from 9 am - 4 pm.
This is held at Neveh Shalom, 2900 SW Peaceful Lane, Portland. [Same locale as our recent show]
Free admission.
More info: http://www.portlandhadassah.org


Rosana & Esther will be exhibiting at the annual Holiday Market at Portland's French American International School, which is a fundraiser for the school.

Friday, Dec. 7th 3pm - 6pm and Saturday, Dec. 8th 9am to 6pm. Free admission.

8500 NW Johnson St, Portland 97229. Corner of Cornel & Miller Roads.
More info: http://www.faispdx.org
This event includes food & gift vendors, a Parisian Cafe, and wine tasting from several local & international wineries. (It's French, you know.)

Photos and ....

Here are a few photos from the show at Neveh Shalom.

It really was more wonderful looking in "real" time....



More photos of this event will be published on our website. That site [see link at left: ORA website] is also a way to contact each of the artists and/or look at some of their work.





And our next event will be at the Oregon Jewish Museum from February 7th to the 24th.....

The Day After

Wow - what a show. The social hall was truly transformed - the crowds never stopped coming - the coffee and yummies were great and the art and music were superb!

After all those superlatives - can we do this again? YES!

Nothing like a group of supportive women to keep each other going - creatively and emotionally.

Most of us are tired today but our creativity is running away with ideas for the "next" project - individual and/or collective.

Photos of the show to be posted when one of the picture takers sends them on to me.

And a personal PS: As a a long time Boston Red Sox fan - their winning the World Series last night was the ultimate capping of a super great day!

Scenes from "getting ready"

Here are some photos of our "space" after we hung drapes and set up table and grids






Come see it on Sunday - tomorrow - when these grids and table will transform into a world of colorful art!










And these signs will be outside Neveh Shalom to direct you to our Celebration of Art!

Yiddish Hour

Laurie Fendel, one of our artists, is subbing for the Yiddish Hour tomorrow morning on KBOO Radio. I hope she says nice things about us!

10am -11am 90.7 FM

Countdown to the Show

Egads - she says...will I ever be ready by the 28th?

For some of us, shows are still nerve wracking; while others see this "smaller" show as easier than the much bigger ones that they do.

Are you an artist? Do you do solo shows or shows with others? How long did it take for you to lose the anxiety about being "ready?"

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Rosanna goes to collage workshops!

Photo of Rosanna [left] with Ann Baldwin
[click on photo to enlarge]





Rosana Berdichevsky, our multimedia collage artist, recently attended the "ART AND SOUL" Conference held in Portland where she attended workshops with well know multimedia collage artists Traci Bautista, Angela Cartwright and Ann Baldwin.

Rosana enthusically jumped into workshops on black and white collage, the dance of your life and creating stories with collages.

She said she found these workshops to be soul inspiring and you can see how she incorporates all of this into her joyous new work when you attend the ORA show on October 28th at Neveh Shalom in Portland.

Music to Celebrate With

We are thrilled to tell you about the three exceptional local musicians who have agreed to perform at our CELEBRATION OF ART, scheduled for October 28th.

• Stephanie Schneiderman, well known singer, songwriter and member of Dirty Martini will grace our stage for an hour of stunning vocals and guitar work.

• Justin Jude, recently named "Oregon's Best Singer/Songwriter 2007!"
will perform songs from his newest CD to be released in early November.
Rumor has it he may make a few copies of this CD available at this performance!

• George Fendel is a jazz historian & columnist for JazzScene Magazine who can be heard weekly (Sunday afternoons) on jazz radio KMHD 89.1 FM. George is also well known for his beautiful piano stylings and has played widely around Portland.

Congrats to Leslie

Our member LESLIE ELDER entered her painting, Jerusalem Spice Shop, in the Watercolor Society of Oregon Transparent Show and it was accepted!

This painting had sold at our show at the Oregon Jewish Museum last year, but the owner agreed to let her show the piece.

It will not be for sale but will be displayed at the Fall Show at the Meadow Lakes Golf Course in Prineville, OR beginning Oct. 6th through the end of the month.

The painting was one of 80 entries selected for the show.
There were 173 artists (all Watercolor Society members) who submitted 306 total images.

Celebration of Art

The magic begins as you enter our Main Exhibit Hall.

Live music by well known recording artists and performers will greet your ears, and a coffee house featuring fresh treats will tantalize your palate as you listen to the musical stylings of Stephanie Schneiderman (of Dirty Martini fame), George Fendel, jazz pianist, and Justin Jude, recently named "Oregon's Best Singer/Songwriter 2007!"

Stroll from exhibit to exhibit to experience a unique show that blends the best elements of a gallery opening with an artist colony tour -- with a coffee house of a forgotten age tossed in. Celebrating their second year as a collective, ORA artists invite the public to discover their new work. Although the artists are Jewish , Judaic and secular works are available for purchase.

Members of ORA are: Rosana Berdichevsky, collage and multi-media; Lynn Dorman, photography; Leslie Elder, water colors, Robin Esterkin, water color, acrylic and mixed media; Laurie Fendel, fabric construction; Diane Fredgant, silk painting; Sara Harwin, fabric construction, acrylic painting and serigraph prints; Julie Hockley, hand-cast precious metal jewelry & ritual objects; Esther Liberman, handmade bead work; Sharon Segal, acrylic and mixed media paintings and cards; Eddy Shuldman, fused glass; and Sabina Wohlfeiler, water color paintings.

Best of all, admission is free! And - you don't need to be Jewish to come look, schmooze with the artists, nosh a little, and buy art that speaks to you.

For more information visit our website: www.northwestjewishartists.org