Books
Art from the Holy Land
In 2013 I traveled, to Israel, I met the author of the book, Traditional Palestinian Embroidery, and Jewelry by Abed Al-Samih Abu Omar. We decided to collaborate on a book together which we named “ Art from the Holy Land “. This book is a collection of the embroidered top portion of wedding dresses and strips of embroidered fabric that are worn like a scarf. In this collection, there were also complete dresses with shirts and sleeves that were trimmed with embroidery. From visual observation, it appeared that the shirts and sleeves were made from contemporary fabrics and antique trimmings were added. On some of the garments, I found pieces of tape that said “Pakistan“ and it occurred to me that these dresses, using the contemporary fabrics with the antique embroidered parts could have been assembled in Pakistan.
The dresses were photographed, and I used close up areas of the embroidery, as the surface treatment for my abstracted designs for English, Hebrew and Arabic words and my abstract interpretations of people from the bible and dancing figures.
I am in possession of half of the artifacts that were part of this book, and someday I hope to create a traveling exhibition of these works of art.
Sign Post among the Living Shapes
The search for the meaning of life is a quest that is aspiring and inspirational to every person. It is a healing journey that brings love and happiness to our lives at any age. In the art book, “Sign Post Among the Living Shapes”, We are taken on this journey of spiritual growth.
In the Presence of Nature
I began these artworks as 3D collages, which I photographed. These images are set to a poem that I created to link them into one work of art. My work has been about empowering people to be their best self, and this book explores these ideas in pictures and words.
Garden of Hebrew and Arabic Letters
I was invited to exhibit my sculpture at the Mamilla Mall, located outside the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a pedestrian shopping mall with the sculpture outside in front of the shop entrances. As part of the exhibition, I made a book and set the sculptures to a poem that I wrote. After I made the book, I worked with others who could help me, and we translated the book into Arabic and Hebrew. As part of the exhibition, I made a poster, with a QR Code that could be scanned for the people who were looking at the sculpture exhibition, to be able to download the book in their preferred language. One of the takeaways I got from doing this exhibition, is that translating from one language to another is an art. The words and phrases often do not have a word for word meaning translations, and the translations are approximate in many cases. It made me realize it is no wonder, that different ethnic groups and people speaking different languages may have trouble understanding each other.
In the Beginning
I began these artworks as 3D collages, which I photographed and using digital tools I added Hebrew letters and words. In the past, I had designed my artistic interpretation of the Hebrew Alphabet. I used these letters to make these artworks. These images are set to a poem that I created to link them into one work of art. My work has been about empowering people to be their best self, and this book explores these ideas in pictures and words.
As You Wish
In these 3D collages, I explored the meaning of two Chinese Characters. The translation of words from one language to another can be enlightening. The first Chinese character which was translated as “Fulfillment” also can mean “as you wish”. “As you wish”, also implies that it is your choice. Choosing what we want, is a very powerful action. In this series of works, I explored some areas of personal fulfillment.
The other Chinese character is Lucky /Blessed and refers to peaceful luck, where everything goes well. The book culminates with looking at the connection between both words. My work has been about empowering people to be their best self, and this book explores these ideas in pictures and words.