Creativity Flourishes In The Time Of Covid

Welcome to Tikvat Israel's virtual gallery entitled "Creativity Flourishes In The Time Of Covid." This gallery is to inspire and entertain. We invite you to create and share with us now virtually and one day, when we are liberated from the confines of Covid we will have an exhibit in-person in our Social Hall. Until then, submit your work, include a brief description of your work along with a photograph to office@tikvatisrael.org. Shirley Waxman Edna Breit Co-chairs

We Are All Interwoven by Shirley Waxman

I started this at least 10 years ago, with forced confinement and cleaning up I resurrected it. The gold braid I purchased in India my first trip, The shell buttons were from some trip. It is amazing what we find when we have time on our hands we need to fill.

Hummingbird Photo by Larry M. Levine

We miss traveling to see family and go on vacation. However, there are wonderful things to see around us, if we take the time to look for them.  And, there is good news- Spring is coming!

Watercolor by Nancy Matheson

During COVID, I dusted off my art supplies and did some exploration in watercolor. Above are two of my paintings. The first is of my grand cat and grand dog. The second is a bunch of flowers in a vase.  My creativity comes in waves and I hope to get inspired again soon.

Drawings by Sam Gilston

The only one of these drawings that has a title is "Descent from the Cross" which is copy of painting from 16th century by Rogier van den Weyden. The others are just various people. The men are from a book of East European Jews.   The Black and white drawings are in charcoal. The color one is in color pencils.

Bell Wall Hanging Quilt by Judy Jonas I've been busy making masks and donating them to the nearby Hopkins Cancer Center - but - it's not very inspiring work. But a week or so ago, I was up in the middle of the night and decided to turn to music - Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" is the calm I was seeking. However, somehow the You-Tube switched over to another song of his, "Anthem" which I'd not ever heard but it kept haunting me.

If you don't know it the chorus is: Ring the bells they still can ring Forget your perfect offering There is a crack in everything That's how the light gets in. Those words are a metaphor for what's happening in our lives right now. No one and nothing is perfect - and if we keep looking for perfection, we won't find it. In everything and everyone there is a crack, an opening, a way to solve the problem. We only have to be open minded enough to see it. So......as I heard the chorus, in the middle of the night, I saw my wall hanging - of a cracked bell. I got up and started making bells and after I'd made 13 or 14 of them from my stash of fabric (remember I'm a quilter), I was stuck on how to lay them out. When I showed them to one of my grand children, Naomi immediately said "Grandma, make them in the shape of a bell." So that's what I did.  If you zoom in to the picture, look around the edge and you'll see the words in gold thread.

Using Scraps Fused Glass by Tamah Graber

When the pandemic started, I did what everyone else was doing – making sure I exercised, cleaned out most or all of my closets, reorganized stuff, looked for things to donate. Then I went to my studio. I have been working the whole time, but a lot of what I am doing is using up the huge amount of scraps or leftover glass that came from projects I had already finished. And for people who fuse glass, the rule is not to throw out anything because it all can be refired and used in something else. I must say, this has been a very prolific time for me artistically. Here are two of my pieces. The first is scrap or pieces I (or a friend) made specifically to use in other pieces. In the second, I wondered what I could do with what is called confetti glass – clear glass with frit or stringers. When I put some scraps of that onto white, I saw immediately that it needed something to separate the pieces. Thus I cut up some blue (and created yet more scrap) to separate the individual pieces.

Amigurumi Characters by Bonnie Leibel

How to keep busy during the time of Covid!!! My youngest daughter is studying to be an elementary school librarian. She asked me to create amigurumi characters to be displayed in her school library (perhaps in the form of a mobile). Above are some of the characters I've finished and I have several more to do.

“Is New York Really Necessary?”  Collage by Lincoln Hallen

My art project during Covid is clearing out stuff from my attic and utility room. Low and behold I found some ‘art’ that I did years ago. This collage is called “Is New York Really Necessary?”

Noah's Ark Hand Painted Silk by Shirley Waxman

This is a Noah's ark wall hanging for my first great grandchild. Hand painted silk piece, water and embroidered fish.

Culinary Art by Sophia Kram

Challah Art by Neil Kram

Sally Kram notes that Neil Kram has vastly improved his challah baking arts!

Itica Mills Bridge Photo by Bob Silverstein

I have always enjoyed photographing bridges. They seem so delicate and sinuous, yet have the strength to sustain their own weight and the weight of the cars, trucks, and trains that cross them everyday.

Covid Embroidery #2 by Shirley Waxman

International Space Station over Rockville Photo by Larry M. Levine

While we are staying at home, it's inspiring to see the International Space Station Station flying 250 above Rockville. You too can spot the International Space Station. Information can be found here.

Watercolor painting joy despite COVID by Sonia Friedman

Quilts by Molly Turkewitz

Welcome to the month of April! (every month , a new project goes up on the front door). Quilting project to learn paper piecing and free motion quilting.

Quilt name: Water. Used waves and curves AKA ripples in the stitching.

Pillow and Paper by Molly Turkewitz

My Brother In Law swims every Sunday with the Coney Island Polar Bears. This was for him.

Can you guess what this is made of? Pages of old magazines!

Birdhouse by Sherman Eisner

This crazy-looking birdhouse has two special features – a skylight and a chimney. The chimney hides a wireless closed-circuit TV camera that will allow us to peep in on the little chicks. We set up the birdhouse last spring, and in short order had a loving pair of blue birds build a nest and take up residence. Unfortunately, a very mean Carolina wren ended up destroying the bluebird eggs – not just once, but twice -- leaving us heartbroken. We’re determined to try again this spring – this time with Ellen standing guard 24/7.

Yemenite Embroidery by Shirley Waxman

Yemenite embroidery on a kippah. I found a linen kippah I had put together long ago, Covid gave me the opportunity to finish it.

sometimes Acrylic paint by Phoebe Wood (ECC Employee)

There are times when the sunset is too beautiful to ignore. In this painting I attempted to capture the blues and yellows of the sky.

Walking Somewhere Acrylic paint, cardboard by Phoebe Wood (ECC Employee)

This is a fictional place I wish existed in real life. In this painting I tried to create an image using dots (in most areas of the painting. My paintings are from Introduction to Drawing (ARTT 100), a class I took at Montgomery College.

Zanzibar Acrylic on canvas 16" x 20" by Denny Kanuck

I created this painting of a sunset in Zanzibar. The boat is a commuter vessel that takes workers to and from the main island each morning and evening. The sun is very intense and sunsets are remarkable.

Taliesin West by Larry Gorban

I created this during these challenging Times . It is a Frank Lloyd Wright home made of small LEGO like bricks. It is designed at the Atom Brick Co.

Table Runners Quilt by Wendy Bauman

These are Channukah themed table runners I made for myself and my daughters this year.

Little Free Library (LFL) by Sherman and Ellen Eisner

Back in February, Ellen and I started to build this Little Free Library (LFL); my job was construction, Ellen’s was exterior design. If you’re not familiar with LFLs, they serve as neighborhood book-exchange boxes. They’re usually placed at the edge of one’s property for easy access by walkers and neighbors. The concept is: “Take One, Share One.” It’s a wonderful way for readers of all ages and backgrounds to exchange books. Our initial plan was to install the LFL last spring, but decided to hold off because of the concern that book handling might cause COVID to spread. Now, with the vaccine starting to roll out, we hope to install the LFL on its outdoor post in late spring. Everyone is welcome to visit.

Clouds Painting by Cindy K. Renteria

Number The Stars Painting by Cindy K. Renteria

Friends Painting by Cindy K. Renteria

I paint landscapes mostly and create movement in the paintings with color and lines. During the lock-down, I spent the first month posting poetry and art on instagram cindyart1@instagram.com. It is a very different time with lots of changes.

Timeline Illustration: History of Anti-Jewish Events by Avy Ashery

This timeline is meant to be an educational piece of art showing the history of anti-Jewish events since the Romans burning the Temple and destroying Jerusalem through the Shoah to 1948, when the Jews emerged from the refugee camps to create the modern state of Israel (above). Such art should be seen as a Jewish educational tool, rather than simply as decoration.

Chanukkah Challah by Beth Smith

As you know, I’m into a lot of different creative activities. This past Friday, December 11, 2020, I tried something new. On the left is my unbaked Chanukkah challah and on the right it is baked. I didn’t want to use food coloring, so the darker parts have cocoa mixed in. If I can find the time, I would like to try making a dreidel.

Blankets and Knitting Projects by Janice Balin and Avery Balin

While I like to knit and do craft projects, I also like to share my talents with my granddaughters. Avery Balin is working on a fleece blanket that I bought her for Chanukkah. It involves tying knots together. This blanket will take her awhile to finish but that is ok. It is something that she and I can do together when she comes to visit. Her twin sister also has the same project. Just no pictures of her!

The blanket that I recently knitted was donated to Montgomery County Association for Family & Community Education. It is part of their Blanket Making Program that provides hand made blankets to children in local hospitals. I need to always have something to do in the evenings when I sit and watch TV, knitting projects keep me busy. I have been knitting since I was a little girl but don't like to do things too complicated. The Montgomery County organization provides me with the yarn for their projects. As you can tell from the various odd colors in this blanket, I have to work with what they give me! Hopefully some teenager will appreciate my efforts!!!

Family Love/Shalom Bayit reprinted in alternate silk screen by Avy Ashery

The colors represents the basic family unit where both generations show love and respect, a basic Jewish value for family harmony.

Autumn Pines Watercolor painting by Sonia Friedman

I’m grateful for an amazingly beautiful world despite these hard times. But there’s lots of time for painting and walking and delighting in what I can see. Pine trees and walking in nature and trying to capture in paint the awe I feel make these sad and unusual times a blessing.

The Prayer Serigraph illustration (edited and reprinted 2020) by Avy Ashery

This illustration was banned in the former Soviet Union when used as new years cards being sent to the refuseniks by Jews in the U.S. and discovered by the KGB in Anatoly Sharansky's apartment and soon banned (art non grata) in the Soviet Union.

Dew on Strawberry Plants Photo by Larry M. Levine

When the plague started, we knew we had to surround ourselves with things that would bring us comfort and joy. We planted strawberry plants in one of the deck garden

containers we bought. We love plants, and there is something very powerful about watching something grow and thrive. I love photography, and I was determined to keep that as one of my creative outlets during COVID. Sometimes much joy comes from focusing more on the small details in the world. "Dew on Strawberry Plants" was created at the end of May, when I walked out on our deck early one morning before breakfast to look at our deck garden.

Covid Madness Tapestry (in progress) by Edna Breit

This a piece I am working on during this pandemic, hoping to share and encourage and lift spirits. This is only halfway done, will be about 70,000 stitches when completed. I am calling it “Covid Madness”....

Masks by Edna Breit

Made during Covid to prevent the spread of Covid.

Pillows by Edna Breit

These pillows were made during Covid for three TI high school graduates. We honored our high school graduates after evening minyan on Monday, June 15 and surprised them with these gifts.

Shechina Protecting Us Mandala by Bobbi Gorban

When we had to stay home, I started to create some fiber mandalas that expressed what we were experiencing. This face mandala is made of several different pieces put together in one. This is created with a button covered fabric face on a ribbon crocheted piece over a smaller mandala over a felted piece created by another artist.

Corona Doodle Embroidery #1 Shirley Waxman As soon as the lock down began I started working. I found projects I had begun 10 years ago, set aside and forgot about ---- they are now all finished ! This is an opportunity to clean up my messes and hand stuff over to other people, I am getting older and I am more focused. I will share! I will give other people an opportunity to explore.

Coping to me means being busy, I cannot survive boredom, as long as I have my hands and my creative juices flowing I am happy. This project began with a piece of fabric I had purchased in Hungary, a few lines and a variety of left over embroidery materials to which I just kept adding. The yellow flowers in the center are beads I bought in Turkey, as are the sequins . Very different from what we are used to. For framing I went into my stash of fabrics, I found a piece of Indonesian fabric I had bought In St Marten, the Dutch side, 40 years ago and it was perfect. All of this inspired reminiscing about my travels, all of which involved exploring fabrics. Covid initiated the pictured project, it was my inspiration and so I am calling this piece " Covid 19 Embroidery Doodles #1."

Apron sewing project by Edna Breit

This is an apron made from a man’s shirt, a la post-WWll culture. I did this through taking a Smithsonian Zoom class.

Covid 19 - 2020 Mandala by Bobbi Gorban

When we had to stay home, I started to create some fiber mandalas that expressed what we were experiencing. The black, gray & orange mandala represents the image of the virus that has taken over our lives. It is crocheted with different yarns representing the growth of the virus with each row.

Your work can go here.... Submit your work and include a brief description along with a photograph to office@tikvatisrael.org.

Tikvat Israel … A Friendly, Participatory, and Egalitarian Conservative Synagogue where everyone has something to teach, and everyone has something to learn.