Another Tahoe Sketch

Sunny Backyard, Watercolor 7 x 5

Sketch from Tahoe

Marla Bay View, Watercolor 5 x 7

I'm lucky enough to come up to beautiful Lake Tahoe fairly often.  Here's a small watercolor of one view from the beach at Marla Bay, which is just into Nevada.

Earth-Tree Tallit

Earth -Tree Tallit,  36 x 72, Hand Painted Silk 

Click on the image for a larger view

City of Hope Banner

 City of Hope Banner, 24 x 18, Silk Painting

A few months ago I attended a local City of Hope Chapter meeting to show my artwork and give a demonstration.  After a quick presentation of techniques, I invited the meeting-goers to come up and paint.  Together we produced this banner for the group, which includes the chapter name and the logo for City of Hope. 

See the Number? And other less subtle symbols....

Hadassah at 100, Watercolor, 9 x 16

Here's the piece I have on exhibit at the Long Beach JCC, in the exhibit entitled "Hadassah through the Eyes of the Artist." The exhibit celebrates Hadassah's 100th birthday.  Click on the image for a larger view.

Hadassah Through the Eyes of the Artist

I have a watercolor painting in this exhibit, celebrating Hadassah's 100 year birthday.  I'd love to see you at the reception on March 25th!

Ketubbah, Sun and Moon

Ketubbah, Sun and Moon, Watercolor, 22 x 22

 I created this ketubbah for my niece and her fiance (click the image for a larger view). In addition to the ketubbah, I had the pleasure of designing a tallit (Jewish Prayer Shawl) for my niece, which the lovely couple painted in my studio, and used during their wedding. 

Passover Matzah Cover - New!

 

I found a use for one of those sketches that I really liked but wasn't right for Eli's tallit.  The top image is one side of a Passover Matzah Cover and the bottom picture shows the other side.  Inside are three pockets to hold the three symbolic matzahs of a Passover Seder.   The small bag is an "afikomen" bag, so you can hide your afikomen without getting crumbs all over the house!

The Hebrew on the left says 

love

PEACE

freedom

The Hebrew on the right says, interestingly enough, "afikomen."

Sketchbook, part 9

 Here is the emblem I've designed on the previous pages, shown now in a completed Prayer Shawl for my son Eli, who at age 19 has decided to move to Israel and serve in the IDF.  In the stripes above and below the emblem, family member's names are written in Hebrew and English (click the image for a larger view).

The final pages of the sketchbook.

Sketchbook Project, part 8

Hmmm....some ideas better than others...

I like these sketches above a lot, but I want to make the star more subtle. I figured out I want a round emblem, not star shaped.Yeah, that's the one.....

Sketchbook Project, part 7

In the next several pages I'm working on an idea for a project.
I want to make an emblem. For Peace, Love, Freedom, Israel
This is one quintessential use of a sketchbook. To work out ideas...

Sketchbook Project, part 6

This is a kind of introduction to the project that I will be working on for the rest of the sketchbook...

Sketchbook Project, part 5

Do you notice anything different about the flower shape on this sand dollar? It didn't grow that way, I'm taking artistic license...

Sketchbook Project, part 4

You can click on the image to see a larger version.

Sketchbook Project, part 3

Full page spread of the sketchbook. More of the amazing sand dollars, and their light and leaps of fantasy.

Sketchbook Project, part 2

Have you ever examined the underside of a sand dollar? They are just as interesting as the top side. These are watercolors, about 5 x 7, the size of the sketchbook.

The sketch below is about 10 x 7, the size that the sketchbook is when it's opened.

Sketchbook Project

And...She's Back!

I've recently finished participating in The Sketchbook Project, presented by Art House Coop. Anyone can participate. You pay your money, and receive a small sketchbook which you fill in any way you wish, then return it by a specified date. It had been a long time since I had asked myself, "what do you want to paint, Hillary?" and I used this sketchbook and it's deadline to bring me back to painting some things for my own personal interests, expression and growth.

The sketchbooks will go on a world tour, and then be housed at the Brooklyn Art Museum. They'll also be available online. You were invited to choose from a variety of themes, and I chose "Hope." There were no other directions, but a suggestion for it to actually be a sketchbook - a place where you practice your craft and develop ideas.

I took that to heart, as I love seeing the process of other artists by looking at their sketches, and also worked towards a final project which is pictured at the end of the book. Here is the cover of my sketchbook, above, and below is the first page of the sketchbook.