WRJ Calendars: Celebrating Art and Time

Exhibit Poster

"WRJ Calendars: Celebrating Art and Time,” an exhibit of original works of art in various media by nine artists who have been featured in the Women of Reform Judaism art calendars, is currently on view in the main lobby/reception area of the New York office of WRJ and the URJ, 633 Third Avenue.

Since 1913, Women of Reform Judaism, formerly the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS), has been publishing the art calendar to encourage and showcase Jewish artists who use their creative vision and talent to reflect on Jewish themes and to develop for them a larger and more knowledgeable audience.

The URJ Art Committee considers it an honor to be able to present the current exhibit, which has been extended through June 30, 2010. Enjoy!


DEBORAH ROLNIK RAICHMAN The Letter Reich 5770 WRJ Art Calendar Watercolor and collage 26.5' x 20.5' "According to Kabbalistic literature, the first act of creation was the formation of the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. Reish, meaning beginning, is connected to the creation of the world. The twenty-two Hebrew letters are profound, primal spiritual forces that God combined into words and commandments. They were, in effect, the raw materials of Creation, translating God's will into reality. Reish is the Aramaic word for head, or beginning. According to the Midrash: Rosh ("head" in Hebrew) is the Holy One, the Head of the entire world and the End of the entire world. The shape of the letter can be seen as a passageway through which man can reach upward to heaven." Deborah Rolnik Raichman Houston, Texas www.rolnikraichman.com E-mail: raichman@aol.com	JEANE VOGEL Lifted by Hope & Unity 5769 WRJ Art Calendar Photograph (Pigment Print on Fine Art Watercolor Paper) 30" x 24" "Hands of Jews of all hues lift the Torah scroll high on Simchat Torah, the day we read the concluding words of Deuteronomy and then immediately start again at the beginning with the opening of Bereshit. The human hand too is a source of creation. When a community joins together to lift a Torah scroll, their hopes for a repaired world are hoisted high." Jeane Vogel http://www.vogelpix.com E-mail: Jeane@vogelpix.com or jeaneVogel@earthlink.net

CESAN d'ORNELLAS LEVINE Abundance: Chamsa #29 5768 WRJ Art Calendar Acrylic on canvas 36" x 48" "The chamesh hand, an old and still popular folkloric amulet for magical protection from the evil eye, is believed to draw positive energy, happiness, riches and health. Many chamsas include fishes and eyes. The fish symbol originates from the Talmud, where it is stated that fishes are immune from the evil eye because they are under water. The blue eye stands for the Almighty's watchful eye, also intended to ward off evil spirits." Cesan d'Ornellas Levine Toronto, Ontario Canada http://cesan.ca Studio: 905-780-7544. Cell: 416-662-7544. 310 Kerrybrook Dr., Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada L4C-3R1 E-mail: info@cesan.ca	SIONA BENJAMIN Finding Home #103 “Sarah” (Fereshteh) 5766 WRJ Art Calendar Gouache and 22k gold leaf on paper 18" x 15" Siona Benjamin is a painter originally from Bombay, now living in the US. Her work reflects her background of being brought up Jewish in a predominantly Hindu and Muslim India. In her paintings she combines the imagery of her past with the role she plays in America today, making a mosaic inspired by both Indian miniature paintings and Sephardic icons. Siona Benjamin Montclair, NJ www.artsiona.com Phone: 973-783-3445 E-mail: artsiona@earthlink.net

JULIE SZERINA STEIN *Hanukiah* 5765 WRJ Art Calendar Low fore clay and glazes 11.5" x 9.5" x 6" Julie Szerina Stein uses vivid, colorful renderings of the men and women of the Bible to convey the joy, passion, and dedication of Judaism's forebears. She creates ceramic ritual objects to add whimsy, cheerfulness, and joy to the celebration of the Jewish holidays. Julie Szerina Stein PO Box 1454 Tucson, AZ 85702 phone: 520-624-3363	FRAN GALLUN Landscape Monument 5764 WRJ Art Calendar Cut painted paper collage 16" x 12" framed "My work has been about landscape for about ten years, influenced by trips to Israel and other Mediterranean sites. The horizontal stripes feel like the essence of landscape, and the layers speak to the stories and histories that lie ever more deeply; as one reveals itself, another mystery emerges. I used painted paper, cut into strips, and collaged onto board. I then paint the spaces in between. Somehow the sum is greater than the parts." Fran Gallun Haddonfield, NJ http://www.frangallun.com E-mail address: frangallun@verizon.net phone: 856-428-5551

Karla Gudeon Tree of Life 5763 WRJ Art Calendar Watercolor/Engraving 22" x 28" "Creating Judaic art is my way of bringing family, Jewish heritage and culture into a visual format. I hope to create paintings that viewers can find joyous, exhilarating, and spiritually fulfilling. It is my intention to evoke warmth and a familiar sense of shared human experience and common bonds. In Tree of Life, the branches of my tree reach to the sky while its roots extend deep in the earth, thus uniting a grounded nature with overarching, exalted imagery." Karla Gudeon Smithrown, NY Phone: 631-360-0789 http://www.karlagudeon.com E-mail: karla@karlagudeon.com	Archie Granot Jerusalem 5759 WRJ Art Calendar 18 layers hand cut papers 13.5" x 12.5" on a backing (integral to the work) 22" x 16" "I began my artistic career by fluke in 1979, when I was inspired by my daughter bringing home a papercut that she had done in an enrichment class at school. This led me to the traditional Jewish papercuts, but from the very beginning I knew that I needed to find an individual direction inspired but different from what I was seeing. I began experimenting with layers of paper and different colors, using a surgical scalpel rather than the traditional scissors. From the very beginning I knew that I wanted to create work that would juxtapose old and new - Jewish traditional texts with the contemporary papercut. I am inspired by geometric and abstract shapes, and I internalize colors wherever I go and wherever I find myself. It has always been a challenge to take the colors available in paper, to create a sketch fit to be cut, and to create a work that reflects the widest scope for my imagination." Archie Granot Israel - papercuts http://www.archiegranot.com Archie Granot Papercuts, 1 Agron Street, Jerusalem, Israel 94265 Phone: 972-2-625-2210 or Toll free in USA: 1-866-475-76-97 E-mail: papercut@archiegranot.com

Sara Novenson Judith 5755 WRJ Art Calendar Hand painted limited edition giclee 29 ½" x 26" framed with handmade silver leaf frame and gold leaf mat "Judith is the embodiment of strength and courage, an extraordinary woman who bravely took a colossal situation into her own hands. Single handedly she saved not only the Jews from obliteration by the horrible General Holophernes, but the surrounding peoples and tribes as well. She was the great liberator, the bringer of light. By beheading Holophernes, she beheaded the darkness that had fallen upon the earth, flooding it with light." Sarah Novenson Santa Fe - painter and print maker http://www.novenson.com E-mail: novenson@earthlink.net