WILLA SCHNEBERG with some of her some of her fired-clay pieces at the ORA annual show Oct. 25.

Northwest Jewish Artists show wares at Mittleman Center

By POLINA OLSEN

article created on:

Northwest Jewish Artists celebrated their annual show on Oct. 25 at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center. Called ORA, Hebrew for light, the group supports each other and finds opportunities to showcase their art.

The variety and quality of the two dozen exhibitors impressed everyone who attended. The Jewish Review only has space to mention a few:

Willa Schneberg, an Oregon Book Award winner for poetry, wrote a poem for one of her low fired clay pieces. The whimsical ceremonial objects can be put to good use—spice boxes, Torah pointers, an etrog holder.

Sabina Wohlfeiler brought watercolors from a previous show Translations: Art Inspired by the Portland Japanese Garden. “These are Asian but also inspired by the Klimt painting,” she said, referring to the Nazis confiscated portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer that was returned to its rightful owner and is now on display in New York. The patchwork patterns on her model’s kimono reflect Wohlfeiler’s quilting background.

“Watercolors are immediate; they’re transportable,” she said. “We’ll take a bike ride on Sauvie Island and then stop and paint.” Wohlfeiler also sells less expensive prints and says modern reproduction techniques make them indistinguishable from the original.

Cara Buchalter Emanuel’s Art Deco paintings graced inexpensive T-shirts and cards. Small journal covers featured baseball players, harlequins, even her grandfather. She painted a large red bouillon cube on a white kitchen apron. A fourth grade teacher at Congregation Neveh Shalom, Buchalter Emanuel finds inspiration in “the sensuous lines of Art Deco haute couture; classic silhouettes of sleek sophistication.”

Sharon Stern worked photographs of grandchildren into her quilts. Esther Liberman displayed beaded hamsa jewelry, kippot and yizkor candle covers. Gary Pearlman broke from the Hebrew calligraphy and papercuts he’s made since 1980 to display his oil paintings. Diana Unterspan paints abstract art with wool and silk. Her display included a picture of herself called “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Girl,” a literary nod to James Joyce and Dylan Thomas.

Fridericke Heuer, who works at the Oregon Jewish Museum, brought photographic montages under the theme Affirmation and Negation—Transposing Biblical Stories into Contemporary Images. Jane Kadner found inspiration for her carved and painted gourds while living in Tucson.

Any family will find an heirloom in Diane Fredgant’s hand-painted silk tallit. “I make things special for people,” she said. “[For example], I’ll put a piece of someone’s baby blanket under the neck piece.” Using non-toxic colorfast dyes, she also paints challah covers, scarves, wall hangings and chuppahs.

This year’s special section by Rose Schnitzer Manor artists included oil paintings, ceramic, crochet and needlepoint. Vivian Korn made her pulled thread embroidery in 1975. Now 86 years old, Korn calls her work simply “pull-string.” She learned the technique as a girl in Los Angeles. “I couldn’t get over Vivian’s pull-string,” said attendee Susie Gouz who volunteers at the Manor. “I’m not surprised she’s artistic—she’s so talented in the Rose Schnitzer choir.”

Learn more about ORA, Northwest Jewish Artists visit northwestjewishartists.org.