chanahelen

B”H

My most recent painting (and my first in oils since I was a student).

Title: Simchat Torah

Media: Oil paints on canvas

Copyright: © http://www.chanahelen.com

Why have I painted ‘Simchat Torah’?

Lots of artists have painted this subject – so what moved me to paint it?  Well, lots of artists paint flowers, landscapes, and portaits -  but each one has portrayed them in his/her unique way.  I simply wanted to express it in my own way.

I so enjoyed doing this, my first oil painting since I was a student.  (I’ve been working mainly in watercolours for the last few years).  Besides being a good deal older, there are some other noticeable differences for me in using oil paints.  These are some of them-

The paints I used are better quality than I could afford as a student.  I ordered artists’ quality paints a few weeks ago, and could hardly wait for them to arrive.  I thoroughly enjoy using them – they are so rich – my eyes light up as I squeeze them out onto my palette.

I’m a little more patient now.  I make a lot of mistakes, paint out, still not right, paint out ….  I accept the time it takes now, well, at least a bit better than I did as a student.  There are the passages that I paint and never change, too – they are a bonus.

I know now WHAT I want to paint. So, what did I want to paint in ‘Simchat Torah?’   I wanted to express, in as powerful a way as I was able, a Jew’s love of the Torah.   I wanted the work to be rich, vibrant, and so full of joy that it couldn’t be contained on the canvas – I wanted to paint joy without bounds – joy leaping out of the canvas.  Can YOU feel it?

I hope that Jews will look at my painting and think ‘This is how I want to feel in serving Hashem!’ and non-Jews to think ‘Wow, is this how Jews feel?  They must really have something good!’

Be well, be happy – and may we all appreciate what we have.

Post filed under Paintings and tagged celebrations, Chasidim, Jewish, joy, Scrolls, Sefer Torah, Simchat Torah.