I started painting in 1998, as a way to create some balance in my life. Being self-employed, without the contact and camaraderie one might experience in a more traditional occupation, I felt that my lifestyle lacked the opportunities for self-expression that were so important to me. Painting was just one such outlet that revealed itself from my love of color. I have always been drawn to the flowing simplicity of Winslow Homer's watercolor paintings, and have been mesmerized by the colors used in the paintings of Monet, but I had never thought seriously about trying to depict the world around me through painting. Rather, I had ventured into photography in the 1970s, but when my camera was lost, I simply gave up that pursuit. And here, again, the urge to create presented itself to me. Simultaneously, because I also love music, I began to study voice, concentrating my efforts on the sophisticated lyrics of Cole Porter, the asymmetrical jazz of Antonio Carlos Jobim, the intensely sensual lyrics of Charles Aznavour. In college I studied international finance and foreign languages, eventually graduating cum laude with a degree in psychology, a truly eclectic education. It is within the wide-ranging field of human psychology that I learned the importance art plays in enriching humanity and unifying people. Art has been an integral part of humanity since the beginning of time, but sadly, the importance of color, texture and movement has been underplayed in our society. Research has shown that color influences one's mood, and can affect not only how one feels, but also one's appetite, energy and productivity levels.
I was born in Israel to French and Tunisian parents. I have traveled widely, and met my husband in Japan. My outlook and approach to life are inevitably influenced by my international background. As a child in Israel in the early years of its statehood, I remember the unpaved roads and the simplicity of life with few modern amenities, although I did not want for anything. Indeed, my sweetest memories are those of my grandfather's garden, of the effort he would put forth to protect and nurture his peach and plum and guava trees, and the incredible yields of plump fruit produced every year. I remember our trips to the ocean, the cobalt Mediterranean Sea. I remember the soft sunshine that would peak through the clouds after the rains, and I remember the riot of poppies that would blanket the fields in the spring. Those are the colors, sounds and smells I want to capture in my paintings.
I am basically self-taught, although I must credit my stepmother, Irit Eilat, for influencing me to take up a paint brush. She has exhibited widely in both Israel and France, and has achieved a level of renown in her evocative portrayals of the Israeli landscape, particularly Jerusalem.
I am a restless soul. I am impatient. I gravitate toward bold colors and bold strokes, and tend to paint with rapid strokes. It seems that when I slow down, my painting becomes too representational and the underlying emotion becomes constrained in favor of obsessive detail. I prefer to paint what I feel, rather than what I see, although the two frequently merge. If I knew how, I would include music in my paintings! Failing that, I frequently give musical names to my works. Indeed, it is often a piece of music that will inspire a painting, such as the melancholic sweeping tones of Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. How could anyone remain unmoved by such work?
My purpose is to explore color in all its nuances, lend a voice to my inner soul, and thus create bold and vibrant paintings that inspire the onlooker.