Whimsical Wisdom From Jerusalem

Can’t believe that Passover is behind us…time flies and we are well on the way to Shavuout – 25 days on the way to be exact.

We had the great pleasure of spending five days in the North before the Passover holiday. We have  a family tradition  to turn over the kitchen early and then beat the crowds by going on a holiday before the holiday actually begins. We went to the lower Galilee and stayed in Moshav Tzippori which in my opinion is one of the most beautiful places in Israel. It was there at least 12 years ago that I was inspired to create the featured print above called Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs). I am happy to report that the morning glory arbor still exists – as does the fabulous view.

Israel was blessed with bountiful rain this winter and we were treated to a dazzling display of wildflowers as far as the eye could see. As always, i found it amazingly inspiring and I hope to translate that inspiration into a follow up piece for Shir HaShirim very soon.

Now that Purim is over …Passover is fast approaching.  A few years ago I did some coloring pages for Aish.com.  I think they are still available.  They feature  my famous mice  doing Passover preparations.   Lots of fun for the whole family!

I know that allot of people get stressed out by Passover cleaning.  It can seem very overwhelming.  I try to pace myself and do something every day.   I take pleasure in reorganizing all those drawers and  shelves that have been “bothering” me for months.  There is something very satisfying about seeing the chaos turn to order, even if it doesn’t last very long.   With the amount of kids running in and out of our hose, nothing stays orderly for very long.

Winter is flying by and soon the month of Adar will be upon us. It is my favorite month of the year because  ”whoever enters Adar will have their joy increased”.   It was in Adar that I first came to Israel.   Purim was the first holiday that I celebrated when I arrived.

Here in Jerusalem the joy of Adar is palpable.  You  breathe it in with the air.  So much of my work is inspired by joy.  Jewish wisdom is full of teachings about  being happy and seeing life as full of blessings and possibilities and   I have tried to express this  in all of  my work.

I am so excited to be launching my new and improved site. It has taken me a while..but voila! I tried to make it as simple and user friendly as possible.

I am so happy to be able to create uplifting Jewish art for both children and grown ups.  The Old City of Jerusalem remains a constant source of inspiration for me and I try to convey my love for this  place  through my work.

You may have noticed that my best selling “Shema” print is now available in several new color combinations. I had lots of fun coming up with the colors and I am hoping to do this with several other of my popular pieces.

So, enjoy and let me know what you think…