The Illuminated Letters project was conceived in 2007, as a way to further my own exploration of Jewish text and language through art. Over a career spanning more than forty years of continuous productivity, I have earned widespread recognition for work from fine art to ritual and ceremonial art, including torah mantels, tallitot, parochot and chupot. These works utilize diverse techniques, including acrylic painting, papercutting, mixed media, limited edition prints, stained and etched glass, and fiber art. Across these diverse media, I have created a recognizable body of work, utilizing strong jolts of color, sacred imagery, pattern, and movement that invite the viewer to go beyond seeing and enter the realm of experience. The themes drawn upon are universal and have been described as "deceptively eloquent, encompassing the joy and celebration that can be found in life, love, and spirituality." This diversity of expression in media, both two and three dimensional, has been the foundation from which the idea for Illuminated Letters emerged.
My vision is that the completed Illuminated Letters project will broaden the borders of Jewish study, literally "shifting the gaze" through the innovate blend of visual and textual commentary on Jewish life and thought, enriching contemporary dialogue within Jewish studies. Perhaps capturing in the process the hearts and minds of those who may currently be disengaged from more traditional modes Jewish study and discourse while offering a new visual insight to those individuals already on a path of Jewish learning and living.
The six imagery panels for the eighteen core concepts (as represented by specific shoreshim/roots) are near completion. The next phase of the project will be to put each of the images in a contemporary context by placing it in the center of a "Talmud like" page, then framing it with four to six "commentary/teachings". These commentaries will be generated by partnering with approximately ninety renowned and respected teachers, scholars, authors and rabbis who will approach their shoresh from diverse perspectives-male and female, liberal, traditional and secular-providing a multi-faceted interpretation of each core concept.
Rabbi Goldie Milgram, PJ Voice and Reclaiming Judaism, says of the Illuminated Letters Project that it is a "new Jewish art (that is) stunning in quality with themes that teach and touch the soul." Hear her interviews at: http://pjvoice.com/v48/48703judaism.aspx
