The beginning

I needed to shape what I saw and experienced. I turned to paint and stone.
We came to a Kibbutz in the Jezreel Valley.  We learned about the land and the founders who made the tough place a home. 
Their dedication became the subject of my work. With no formal art instruction or Art History studies, I began to record my journey. The landscapes I created were hastily overlaid... Paint splashed over one layer that became the basis for the next. Eventually I tore paper and stuck one strip on the other to describe the beauty of that place. My paintings and collages were assertive, large abstract, semi-abstract scenes. I was trying to show what I discovered.

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I drew the people - I concentrated on the female body. I saw the female form as sacred, I do not use a model, these forms come from my life... from what I know, what I admire. I believe the landscapes are the background for the figures.
This is where they live, this is where they thrive. 

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However
my story really begins many years earlier.. from the age of 18 months, I moved with my family from Winnipeg to Vancouver, Between majestic mountains, along the Pacific Ocean shore line. we lived a 10 minute walk from Kitsilano Beach named for an exalted Native Indian Chief...
Along the beach were huge cedar logs, brought on barges from north of Vancouver, then were carved into Totems - These carved figures guarded the beach. I was young and they were enormous.
I was overwhelmed by the glare of the faces, the huge bodies. Head upon body then more heads.. with alarming expressions.  I cared for the totem people. 
I wrapped my arms around the splintered wood faded in the sun. 

I continued to visit the totems, learned about their culture, traditions and prayers.  

Years later, in l987, a friend, a photographer was invited to document the carving of a ceremonial canoe for one of the largest British Columbian tribes. She invited me to witness the event.  A First Nations carver, from Misga'a, Norman Tait, a highly recognized artist was chosen for the sacred task. 

From the moment the gigantic cedar log was brought on a barge from the north, I watched as the bark was stripped, amazed as the aromatic cedar chips flew in every direction. Norman worked with his hand-made tools. I watched for a full week, as birds, animals, reptiles, amphibians emerged alongside traditional icons. Norman brought the history of his people to that canoe.

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As I approach each canvas, and touch the surface of a new mound of stone,

I think of these great Native Indian teachers. They taught me to realize my life - They instructed me to illustrate where I have been and where I must go. 

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As I review what I have painted and sculpted for 50 years,  I understand that

I am trying to follow the movements and markings of the Indian carvers. 
As they brought the cedar logs alive, so I bring images to my canvases and stone. These native artists led me into the world of art. They told me that I could also create, that I could bring shape and form to the surface. They were my mentors.

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I am of three cultures; Judaism by birth, Zionism by belief and First Nation by location... 
This is a glowing legacy from which I learn and live... 
these three spirits lead me, show me where I have to go. 

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