When I'm in the middle of a project, I'm happy. I can always pick it up and start working where I left off. But when I'm trying to figure out the logistics of my next project, I'm sort of frustrated. I long to be working with the needle, but I'm not at that point yet. And for some reason, I can't rush the planning stage. Sometimes it comes easily; this time it isn't! Sometimes I just pick up the needle and hold it, to feel that reassuring familiarity. Maybe I'll go play with my beads.

DO Something!!

A recent discussion about finding one's lost 'Mojo' led to the suggestion: DO something! Go to the beach, visit an antique store, do some gardening. You know... take time from your output to get some input.

So, how about some suggestions? What do YOU do when you need to recharge the creative juices?

I love going to the beach, or to Multnomah Falls, and just experiencing the colors, smells & sounds. How about you? Click on "comments" to share your ideas.

Art Jury

There are so many good artists out there! And it's not such an easy task to judge who's ready to be in an art show. That's why we seek art professionals to serve on the independent jury for our CELEBRATION OF ART show and sale.

Yesterday our jury evaluated this year's submissions, and they included some wonderful offerings. After lengthy analysis, they made their selections, and all applicants will be notified of the results very soon.

It's hard to judge, and it's also hard to put yourself out there for the judges. Kudos to everyone who submitted art this year. Whether you are selected or not, you're on an exciting journey which will bring good things. Chazak!!

Call For Artists!

We are pleased to announce that our 4th annual pre-holiday sale, A Celebration of Art! will be held at the MJCC on Sunday, October 25, 2009.

This year we will be accepting up to 10 new guest artists. ORA has invited an impartial jury panel to review submissions for these guest spots. The jury date is set for Sunday, May 3rd. If you are interested, please click below for an application, and pertinent information. We apologize for the short notice, but are confident that the work you have already created will be representative of the art you hope to sell at our CELEBRATION.

Click here for the application and information about the jury process, as a Word document. Please print the application to fill it out, and submit to ORA as instructed in the info sheet.

Sow's Ear Becomes Silk Purse

It's time for the annual Chair Affair! This fabulous event encourages artistic creativity while raising critically needed money for the Community Warehouse.

Once again, our own Eddy Shuldman is participating, taking on the challenge of transforming an eyesore into eye candy! Pictured here is the original chair that Eddy used. If you want to see what she has done with it, the project will be on display, along with numerous others, TOMORROW evening as a First Thursday event at:
ANKA Gallery
325 NW 6th
Portland, 97209
Thursday, April 2, 2009
6-9 pm

Eddy will be there most of the time...and so will some of her students who created 2 projects for this very special cause. Additional chairs will also be on display at PH Reed Company on NW 11th/GLISAN.

The chairs will be on display at these two locations for a couple of weeks.

The transformed chairs will be sold at a gala AUCTION on April 23rd from 6-8:30 at Staver Locomotive. Ticket info can be picked up tomorrow at first Thursday, you can contact the Community Warehouse at 503.224.5721

Community Warehouse does an amazing job of providing household furnishings for the needy in our community. Given the state of our economy is is now more important than ever to support our neighbors who are facing challenges.

Jewish Art Week was a Success!

Thank-you to everyone who came to see our exhibit at MJCC last week, celebrating Jewish Art Week. We received a lot of positive feedback, and really appreciate everyone who took the time to visit and to respond!

Next year: Jewish Art MONTH???

Celebrate Jewish Art Week with us!!

Starting Monday, it's Jewish Art Week!
ORA - Northwest Jewish Artists will be joining in the celebration with a week-long exhibit in the lobby of Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Come see some beautiful and thought-provoking art by our own local group of Jewish artists! Take your time, and enjoy. Admission is free, and no sales will be conducted.

March 16 - 20, 2009
6 am - 9 pm
Mittleman Jewish Community Center
6651 SW Capitol Highway
Portland, OR 97219

You can even grab something Kosher to eat at Cafe at the J. Check here for their hours.

Leslie's Stuff at the Stafford

Last Friday I went to the reception for the opening of Leslie Elder's exhibit at The Stafford in Lake Oswego. She and another doctor are exhibiting their paintings on the walls of this beautiful retirement facility.

What a kick! Walking down the hall, I could see Leslie's paintings hanging on the wall straight ahead of me. Since I have worked with some of these images extensively for our website, I felt like I was greeting familiar old friends. But there was also the instant thrill of seeing new works which I haven't seen before! And the works of Dr. Rudy Stevens were, of course, new to me, and totally delightful. Plus there was wine and cheese... what could be bad??

If you didn't go on Friday, you missed out on the wine and cheese part, and also getting to see Leslie and her new super-sleek motorized cart. But you can still drop by for the next 4 weeks, and see some marvelous paintings! I recommend it.

I also think it would be a nice place for all of our ORA painters to exhibit in the future.

The Stafford
1200 Overlook Drive
(across the street from Lakeridge High)
Lake Oswego, Oregon
(503)636-4589

ORA Celebrates Jewish Art Week!

Portland will be celebrating Jewish Art Week for the first time!

Come to the MJCC lobby between March 16-20th to see our exhibit.

How do you define Jewish Art? Is it content or the religious affiliation of the artist? Hmmmmmm.......

Weigh in on this question here...or come see see our work and tell us what you think!

Watercolor Exhibit

The watercolor paintings of our own Leslie Elder will be on display for a month at The Stafford, a retirement community in Lake Oswego.

This is a special exhibit unofficially called "Two Docs Do Art," featuring Leslie's work, and that of another retired doctor, Rudy Stevens.

There will be an opening reception on Friday, Feb. 27th from 3:30 to 6pm, and then the exhibit will hang until March 27th. Drop by any time during regular daytime hours to see some inspiring paintings!

The Stafford
1200 Overlook Drive
Lake Oswego, Oregon
(503)636-4589
(877) 636-4589

A Tragic Loss

This past Yom Kippur, I ventured out of my familiar little world, and attended services at Portland's Renewal congregation, P'nai Or. It was an amazing experience, full of music and meaning and heartfelt confessions. And they did this incredible thing with Unetaneh Tokef, intertwined with Leonard Cohen's song, "Who By Fire."

Of course, the heart of this congregation has been their Rabbi, Aryeh Hirschfield. His spirit and music and passion were irresistable, and inspiring. His charisma & strong sense of ethics reminded me of my departed father. The congregation loved him, and it was easy to see why.

So, today I was more than stunned by the news of Rabbi Aryeh's untimely drowning death yesterday. Like so many in our community, I am striving unsuccessfully to make sense of this tragedy. And the words of Unetaneh Tokef just keep running through my mind.... who shall perish by water....

Everybody ever touched by Rabbi Aryeh is grieving tonight. It is unbearably sad. But there is also a certain magnificence in the power of love that binds us together in our grief. May his righteous memory be for a blessing... zecher tzadik livracha.

Happy New Year!

From Eddy Shuldman:

Happy 2009 Everyone!

It seems like the logical question to ask this time of the year:
What is your "art" resolution for the new year?
I'll tell you mine if you tell us yours!

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

How many artists struggle with trying to get great photos of their art work?

Getting good pictures for the web or for slide presentations seems to be a challenge, no matter what medium! Photos of two-dimensional work are often crooked and sometimes out of focus. Three-dimensional work is hard to capture accurately, hard to light, and don't even get me started on the challenges of photographing glass!

ORA is pleased to present two special workshops to learn about photographing your art work. The classes are open to any interested artists, but there is a limited class size, and ORA members and recent Celebration of Art guests will have first preference to sign up.

Wayne Welch, founder of Oregon Photo & Digital will be our instructor.

Class #1: Photography of 3-D art: Sunday, January 11, 1-3 pm at Oregon Photo & Digital in Tualatin.

Class #2: Photography of 2-D art: Wednesday, February 11, 1-3 pm at the home of Rosana Berdichevsky in Portland..

Cost is $15 per class. If you wish to take both classes, the total is $25.
Payment must be received no later than January 9 for Class #1, and February 8 for Class #2.

Please include the following registration information with your payment:
- Your name, medium, address, phone and e-mail
- Which class(es) you wish to take.

Pleae make checks payable to: ORA - Northwest Jewish Artists, and mail them to:
ORA - Northwest Jewish Artists
02 SW Canby St.
Portland, OR 97219

Addresses, directions and details will be provided after registration.

We hope to see you there!

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.

.

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!

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

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