In the Beginning is a progressive piece. It set off with a basic dark and light composition. My goal was to incorporate some interesting texture. Once the background was set, I added some accent colors by integrating an interesting complementary shape. I drew a very abstract outline of a bird and filled it with geometric shapes. Thus, Winter Flight was born.

Immediately following, Genesis 1 came to mind. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”

I replaced the geometric shapes with random Hebrew letters. God created the universe by speaking and the descending letters embody this concept in an abstract manner. The top and bottom symbolize waters above and the face of the deep, whereas the black represents the darkness. The Spirit of God is often portrayed as a winged-like form or a cloud of fire. It worked perfectly with my existing bird-like shape. The orange color denotes the aspect of fire. I created a second version with blue hues since it’s my favorite color and it’s reminiscent of water mentioned in the above scripture reference.

Along the right side of the plummeting Alefbet is Genesis 1:1-5 in Hebrew.

A little side note. My previous painting just received a Certificate of Excellence from CIRCLE Foundation for the Arts—A platform for everything visual art).

Flame Keeper is my newest piece inspired during the journey through the High Holidays. It’s purposely abstract in execution; consequently, everyone will visualize something different. If you care to share what you see, please drop me a note at karin_foreman@yahoo.com

PS: Unbeknownst to me, my website was also taking a “break” during the entirety of the High Holidays. I am grateful that my host server corrected the error speedily and without charge!

Please enjoy this Rosh Hashanah greeting and feel free to download, print or share.

Steps to copy the image
1: Right-click on image  Step 2: Save Image As… (put it in a folder on your computer that you can easily find). It’s ready to print or share.

Here is a short description of the artwork.

Rosh Hashanah (2020 Version) is a simplistic rendition. Presently, some elements of the holidays such as the joy of celebrating together have been restricted during Covid-19. Likewise, this version is devoid of most of the traditional visual elements.  It only features the central fundamentals.  

The circular patterns allude to Rosh Hashanah’s commemoration of the creation of the world (universe) and also the cyclical nature of Jewish life and holidays. It depicts the shofar as Rosh Hashanah is known in the Torah as Yom Teruah—a day for sounding the shofar (Numbers 29:1).  

The shofar’s blast serves as a call to repentance. May we all take this time of repentance to heart and more than any other year, may we be granted a sweet new year!

I’ve started this piece just before the pandemic hit. It has more of a winter feel and was originally called Olive Tree. The main theme was on the importance of staying connected to the source and roots that enable us to thrive and shine. It’s also about the value of community since we shine brighter in numbers than by ourselves. The colors represent diversity.

Due to the many intricate elements, it took way longer to finish it than I had anticipated. You would think that COVID-19 brought a lot of extra time for artists to paint. True. However, my focus was elsewhere. I’ve been extremely busy trying to alleviate the food challenge the pandemic created. I took all the necessary precautions to stay shielded from the virus. Nonetheless, I know that it was only because of Adonai’s protection that I’ve never picked up or brought home the disease.

So, why did I change the name to Light in the Darkness? It’s a self-reflection of the question: “Did I make the most of the time the pandemic presented and was I really a light in the darkness the pandemic presented?” My honest answer is no. I wasted a whole lot of time watching futile episodes, sleeping in, vegging out instead of truly digging in the word. I was busy “doing” but not so much “being” and “connection” with truly matters most. Although I didn’t spend my days as productive as I could, just like in the piece Light in the Darkness, together with others, I accomplished feeding thousands of people with literally tons of food. I’ve also been blessed to make new inspirational connections via Zoom, which was one of the godsends during this time of the pandemic. So, together, we are a light in the darkness.

I hope this piece encourages you to reflect on the time that’s left and spend it wisely. 

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, there are still things to be enjoyed–taking a stroll through nature is one of them.

For four years, I’ve passed this field several times per week. It’s mystical during the hours of dawn. I love seeing the rapidly changing scenery that usually only lasts a few minutes. “Foggy Field” was one of those moments that I actually had a camera on me. Although I always considered this view a reward for having to get up before dawn, I was pleasantly surprised that others enjoy this photo as well.

First, it made the top 3% in a monthly Photo Contest and now, it will be featured at the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury, Vermont. The exhibit is called Dreamscapes and Visions and runs from May 7 – May 30, 2020.

I hope you enjoy the photo. Stay well!

I am excited to announce that some of my artwork will be among the “Keeping the Faith: An Artistic Celebration of Judaism” exhibition, including a large 35″x54” Mixed Media on metal piece.

Anyone in the area, please feel free to stop in!

Proceeds from art sales bolster Studios’ arts services that help to make the Central Coast region a leader in creative culture, education, and innovation. Among the many essential program and outreach efforts made possible is Kids Art Smart. Studios believes that all children should have access to creative learning opportunities through the arts. With arts education cut from local schools, Studios on the Park provides free visual arts programming for thousands of K-12 grade students. An additional 10% commission will be collected to benefit the Jewish Community Center.

This combines my two passions–art and charity.

Directions and more information can be found here For Contact & Studio hours click here 

Artwork on display

I am excited to announce that some of my artwork will be among the “Keeping the Faith: An Artistic Celebration of Judaism” exhibition, including a large 35″x54” Mixed Media on metal piece.

Anyone in the area, please feel free to stop in!

Proceeds from art sales bolster Studios’ arts services that help to make the Central Coast region a leader in creative culture, education, and innovation. Among the many essential program and outreach efforts made possible is Kids Art Smart. Studios believes that all children should have access to creative learning opportunities through the arts. With arts education cut from local schools, Studios on the Park provides free visual arts programming for thousands of K-12 grade students. An additional 10% commission will be collected to benefit the Jewish Community Center.

This combines my two passions–art and charity.

Directions and more information can be found here For Contact & Studio hours click here 

Artwork on display

Rosh Hashanah is just around the corner and so are the High Holidays.

I’ve been highly involved in feeding the food-challenged several times per week. I’ve noticed that I neglected to update my website and missed some important comments. My heartfelt apologies. I would like to make it up to you by offering my latest Rosh Hashanah piece in the form of a free 5×7 file (for personal use only). You can use it to print as many holiday cards as you wish!  

Step 1: Right-click on image  Step 2: Save Image As… (put it in a folder on your computer that you can easily find) Step 3: Open and print
You can also e-mail me at karin_foreman@yahoo.com. Put Shanah Tovah Card in the subject line and I will reply with a 5×7 full-resolution digital image.

There have been many exciting happenings in my life as an artist.

• Three companies were happy with their new logos.
• A newspaper is using my artwork on the front page for the holiday issue.
• Another image is being used for thank-you cards for donors (International Human Rights Organization)
• A Needlepoint Shop is interested in exploring the opportunity of bringing my art (Judaica) to the needlepoint world. This would open up an entirely new field for you crafters out there. 
• There is a Bible Card Game in the making that will feature my 12 Tribes (backing)
• My artwork was accepted by Four Season’s Hotel in Westlake Village and is now hanging in all their guest rooms.

  

   

• Last but definitely not least, my artwork made it into a High Holiday Liturgy Book and is hot off the press.

  

Wishing Shanah Tovah! Till next time.

It’s neither Valentine’s Day nor Tu B’Av (August 15th, 2019). However, I wanted to post this for all the summer love birds out there. Enjoy and be happy!

Description
Tu B’Av is a mixed media piece made with acrylics and gold leaf. 

Tu B’Av is comparable to Valentine’s Day. Tu B’Av is a holiday of love (חג האהבה‎ Hag HaAhava)—hence, a great day for weddings. During the day of the Temple in Jerusalem, it was the happiest of all holidays. It marked the beginning of the grape harvest. The unmarried daughter of Jerusalem dressed in white garments and danced in the vineyards.