The Jewish Folk Arts Festival Art Showcase 20006

Artist Biographies

Gabriel Bass

Gabriel Bass designs and handcrafts custom woodwork, glass and Jerusalem stone for synagogues and homes.
Gabriel prides his work on the high quality materials and attention to detail. The perfect custom gift for that special honor, bar mitzvah or wedding.

website: gabrielbass.com

email: gabriel@gabrielbass.com

Melanie Grishman

Melanie Grishman is a fiber artist who uses quilting and traditional fiber techniques to express her Judaic heritage.
Her work has been widely exhibited.

website: artsitesjudaicguild.org

Shirley T. Waxman

I have gone through many careers; art is a total unsupervised expression of myself.
Wallowing in my insatiable love for textiles and colour and the folklore of all peoples,
I enjoy the interaction with people in creating meaningful Judaica for their life cycle events.
My philosophy comes from my Jewish folklore background-- teach others and you will learn,
express what is meaningful for people and hopefully they will understand and feel joy from your work.

website: shirleywaxman.com

email: shirleywaxman@verizon.net

Rina Designs
Rina Oxman

email: oxmangas@hotmail.com

ArtWorks by Jean
Jean Magram

Jean Magram first attended art school at the age of six, and never stopped painting and designing.
Her Judaic work is inspired by Bible stories, Jewish holidays, and by her 2000 trip to Israel. Besides painting, Jean does Calligraphy-Quilling pieces.
She decorates both English and Hebrew calligraphy with rolled-up pieces of quality papers, formed into flowers, vines, Torahs, birds, reeds, etc.
The quilling designs are then frosted with gold ink, and double matted.

website: artsitesjudaicguild.org

Woven Gems
Diane Kowalski

Weaving since 1979, Diane Kowalski designed and made her first tallit in 2001 for her eldest son’s Bar Mitzvah. Her intricately patterned silk tallitot are woven in the hope of enhancing the wearer’s spiritual experience. Diane enjoys integrating her customers' ideas into their individual prayer shawls.

website: wovengems.com

email: sales@wovengems.com

Carol Knoll

A retired art teacher, who moved to the Washington area to be near her daughter, Carol paints and sculpts Judaica.
She makes ketubbot to order from personal photos.

email: carolimah@yahoo.com

Lori’s Originals

Lori Weiner, has been sewing for over 35 years and crafting for over 20.
She started Lori's Crafts about 3 yrs ago, and because she found a need for these items, as well as to express my Judaic heritage in my works.
Concentrating on custom sewing and embroideries, her merchandise encompasses everything from fabric bowls and vases to kitchen and bath accessories;
from yard flags to custom embroidered table linens for Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and weddings.

website: loriscrafts.com

email: locor416@cox.net

Dor L’Dor
Deborah Potash Brodie

Deborah Potash Brodie, MA, has spent the last 20 years in the Washington DC metropolitan area as a Judaic special educator for adults and children.
Expanding her horizons, she started creating Hidden Hebrew Message jewelry, etched glass, framed art prints, and magnets as an extension to her teaching.
Each designer piece sends an individual spiritual awakening.

website: dorldor.com

email: sales@dorldor.com

Kol Ha Dorot
Ben Bornstein

Benjamin Bornstein is a transplanted Vermonter with a love of Jewish community and glassblowing. He has trained at a number of the premier hot glass studios in the United States,
including the Pittsburgh Glass Arts Center, DCGlassworks, Corning Glass Studio (with William Gudenrath), HandsOn Glass, and Viers Art Glass Studio.
Ben specializes in crafting kiddush cups and a spectrum of Jewish ceremonial objects blown from molten glass.
He personally designs each blown glass kiddush cup to heirloom quality, creating a unique gift for you, and your family, to remember those times that you will always cherish.

Marsha Goldfine

website: goldfinearts.com

email: marsha@goldfinearts.com

I have been working in the field of Judaic art for 25 years.
I make ketubbot on commission, and exhibit my Judaic paintings with ArtSites.

Tamsglass
Tamah Graber

Tamah Graber has been working in glass for more than twenty years, first in stained glass and more recently in fused glass. She has always been very connected to Jewish life.
When she first began to work in stained glass and draw her own designs, the Bible became an inspiration for several of her pieces as it has continued to be in her fused work.
Her work has been exhibited at the Maryland College of Art and Design, Sheryl Leonard Galleries and in shows around Washington D.C

website: tamsglass.com

email: glasslady55@yahoo.com

tagraber@verizon.net

Eileen Chadis Wood
Chadis Crafts and Kippot

Chadis Crafts and Kippot – Eileen Chaddis Wood
Eileen Chadis Wood enjoys making families’ future heirlooms:
hand crocheted yarmulkes for the whole family and all simchas,
plus fun Judaica in polymer clay, pewter, glass beads, and more

website: chadiscrafts.com

email: eileen@chadiscrafts.com

Stephen Shaffer
Peasant Weaver

Stephen has been weaving for over 27 years. These tallitot are lovely to look at, wonderful to feel, and contain the spirit of prayer within.

website: peasantweaver.com

email: peasantweaver@yahoo.com

Artistic Embroidery Design
Albert Feldman

Albert (Avi) Feldman, a member of ArtSites, the Guild for Judaic Art, designs, digitizes, and produces original machine embroidery.
He makes embroidered quilts, wall hangings, table coverings, towels, and T-shirts with Judaic themes.
Of particular interest are his cross stitch samplers that commemorate important life events, such as births, weddings, graduations, or bar/bat mitzvahs.

website: artisticembroiderydesign.com

email: af0002y@Yahoo.com

Sandy Klapper
Acrylic Paintings & Prints

My acrylic Jewish Folk Art paintings depict many aspects of Judaism.
The Chasidim, their dancing, dress, and intensity of praying, are captured in much of my work.

website: sandyklapper.com

email: sandy@sandyklapper.com

Jennifer Judelsohn
Neshama Soulworks Studio

Jennifer Judelsohn is an artist, psychotherapist, and soulworker.
She is a Jewish educator and author/illustrator Songs of Creation: Meditations on the Sacred Hebrew Alphabet.
Her artwork radiantly interprets Jewish concepts, prayers and stories.

website: soulworksstudio.com

email: jennifer@soulworksstudio.com

Lorelei Judaic Designs
Lori Wasserman

Lorelei Judaic Designs represents the confluence of several paths I have followed for a number of years.
I’ve been embroidering and sewing since middle school, making everything from wedding gowns to Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls,
and more recently, tallit for my two sons as they reached their Bar Mitzvahs.
My philosophy is to bring a sense of spirituality and personal meaning to the things I create,
by using colors, textures, hand- and machine embroidery, and research.

website: loreleijudaicdesigns.com

email: loriwass@comcast.net

Elan Smadar Livne
Livne Studio

Elan Smadar Livne uses hand-made fiber to create one of a kind mixed media wall pieces.
Her work, inspired by the classic teachings of Jewish spirituality, reflects major themes of Jewish Mysticism, Kabbalah, and Hasidism.

website: smadarlivne.com

email: liven@smadarlivne.com

Paula’s Beads
Paula Eiblum

Every culture, from prehistory through the present has expressed itself through beads.
Whether for personal adornment, power, protection, or status; whether from shell, bone, or glass, beads remain a constant aesthetic in our lives.
My ethno-eclectic jewelry reflects my Israeli identity, incorporating beads from Yemen, Morocco, and the Middle East.

website: http://mysite.verizon.net/eiblums/paulasbeads/

email: paula.eiblum@verizon.net

Susan Leviton
Levworks - Susan Leviton

Since the earliest days of the Jewish Folk Arts Society,
Susan Leviton has intrigued and delighted festival attendees with her well thought-out and meticulously crafted calligraphy and design.
Based on Hebrew and Yiddish texts, the artwork is a celebration of color, natural forms, a wide range of materials and historic letterforms.
Susan offers cards, prints, ketubot, papercuts and more and welcomes commissions.

email: gorelev@aol.com

Gold’N Ceramics

Olga Goldin has over 20 years experience in ceramics. She creates beautiful pieces made from clay.
All sculptures are hand made and painted with a glazed finish and a 24k gold accent.
80% of her work is Judaic.
They make unique collectible and perfect gifts which you, your family and friends will enjoy for many years to come.

website: OlgaGoldin.com

email: olgagoldin@msn.com

REEVA'S 'ritings with ruach

Using the finest hand-woven silks and yarns combined with French ribbons, Reeva creates tallitot, kipot, women's kipa hats, chupot,
Torah mantles, challah and matzah covers and any other fiber creation you may wish to have designed.
A calligrapher with 18 years of experience, Reeva enhances these creations with Hebrew and English lettering and appropriate decoration.
Personalization is a specialty.

11303 Walnut Creek Ct.
Oakton, VA 22124
703-218-3669
fax 3668
cell-703-395-1945

website: REEVAS.COM

email: Reeva@aol.com

Joye Newman

Joye Newman has been creating ritual Judaic art for years. Her early work is owned by many individuals (including her husband and three children) who received them as gifts.
Her hand crafted pieces combine a quilted effect of fine materials interwoven with a Judaic theme.

website: velvetmoonshine.com

email: velvetmoonshine@erols.com

Margo Cohen

My work in_ Pirkei Avot, A Ladder to Heaven examines the issue of interpersonal relationships in this world and how they influence one’s relationship with Olam Habah (entrance to heaven in the next world). Similar to how Jacob was presented with a ladder to heaven, we too are challenged in this world by how we behave toward our fellow humans.
Our hope is that we will climb that ladder successfully, and that God will look favorably upon us.

email: msmcohen@yahoo.com

Matisyahu Tonti

Wandering Jew Production

Mat Tonti strives to make art that is inspirational and educational.
Whether it is retelling a classic Jewish tale in comic book format, or reinterpreting themes used in antique ketubot,
Mat expresses and shares his Jewish heritage through ancient and contemporary forms of art.

website: www.wanderjew.com

email: matonti@yahoo.com

Rachel Ochana

Orot Kodesh

Calligrapher, Rachel Ochana is a native of Israel who loves working within the Jewish community and arts.
She has being doing her artwork for ten years and it includes text from the bible and other Jewish contexts. Private orders are also available

email: rachelochana@yahoo.com