"Superman Samson" – supporting "Shave for the Brave"

I created the “Superman Samson” papercut in tribute to “Superman Sam” Sommer.

Sam succumbed to acute myelogenous leukemia earlier this year, and his parents and friends have organized a fundraiser through St. Baldrick's to support cancer research. Originally designed around 36 rabbis who would shave their heads to raise money for the cause, the number of shavees is now more than double that number, with countless volunteers and supporters.

The papercut I created to support the cause is a mix of sadness and joy, of challenge and triumph – fitting for Samson's story, and Sam's as well. It's made with cut-up Superman comics, including the "World Without a Superman" trade paperback, and includes a speech bubble which reads, “Those are lessons I'll never forget” — it's a reference to the lessons we take from Sam's life, from this event, and from our determination to fight the good fight.

How can you get involved? Give. And for those who give $360 or more in new donations at this special "Art for a Cause" page, you'll receive a limited edition signed and numbered giclée print of "Superman Samson." It measures 14" x 11" (same size as the original), and will only be available for a limited time.

Sunday, March 30: gallery open house for "Super Heroes, Holy Land"

Super Heroes, Holy Land: "Altar Flame" and "Altar Smoke"

These are two of the pieces in my current show, "Super Heroes, Holy Land!" now showing at UCLA Hillel's Dortort Gallery in Los Angeles – on the left is "Altar Flame" and on the right, "Altar Smoke." The originals each measure 24" x 36", though 20" x 30" prints are available in my online store.

Details on each are below – if you want to see them in person, check out the show: open through April 21 (extended!) at UCLA Hillel's Dortort Gallery in Los Angeles, at 574 Hilgard Avenue; call 310-208-3081 for hours or click here for details.

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Altar Flame
24" x 36"
Mixed media
2013

The eternal flame on the altar was a symbol of God’s continuing presence with the Jewish people, and people from across the land would journey to Jerusalem during the three festivals — as these sacrifices could only be fulfilled in this one spot. The presence of this flame and the sacrifices that were made on the altar were a very physical process that we have since replaced with the work of our minds and the recitation of words, hence the inclusion of parts of the Life Science Library volume titled, The Mind.

Includes:

• 300 #2 (Jun 1998)
• 5 Days to Die #2 and #5 (Sep 2010)
• Automatic Kafka #2 (Oct 2002) and #3 (Nov 2002)
• Avengers vs. X-Men #1 (Jun 2012)
• The Infinite Horizon #6 (Nov 2011)
• Paradise X #8 (Feb 2003)
• Ten Grand #3 (Jul 2013)
• Wonder Woman #44 (Jul 1990)
• X-Infernus #1 (Feb 2009)
• X-Men #199 (Nov 1985) 
• Life Science Library: The Mind. Ed. by John Rowan Wilson. Time-Life Books, Virginia (1980).

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Altar Smoke
24" x 36"
Mixed media
2013

The smoke rising from the altar at the Temple’s Holy of Holies was the physical remnant of communicating with God in ancient times – it was evidence that we had engaged with the Eternal. The smoke would bring sweet smells up to the very anthropomorphized God that could only be addressed in this way, in this particular spot. The smoke represents the direct line of communication with God; Jerusalem is still considered the place with that direct connection to God.

Includes:

• Astonishing X-Men #26 (Oct 2008)
• Automatic Kafka #1 (Sep 2002) and #4 (Dec 2002)
• Batman: The Black Glove (2008)
• The Infinite Horizon #4 (Apr 2009) and #6 (Nov 2011)
• Judenhass (2008)
• Marvels: Eye of the Camera #1 (Feb 2009)
• The Mighty Thor #399 (Jan 1989)
• The New Mutants #27 (May 1985)
• ROM #31 (Jun 1982)
• Superman #77 (Mar 1993) and #18 (May 2013)
• X-Men Legacy #246 (May 2011) 
• The World of Ancient Israel. David Meilsheim. Tudor Publishing Company, New York (1973).

The Journey of the Sun

This is the first new papercut I've completed on my new studio table: "The Journey of the Sun." It borrows heavily from Egyptian iconography, showing  the Sun god Ra (also known as Khepri, and often represented by a scarab beetle) rolling the sun across the sky, transforming bodies and souls.

It includes cut-up comics featuring Blue Beetle (of course), as well as some pieces out of an old dictionary and an old encyclopedia volume.

I made "The Journey of the Sun" for this weekend's annual fundraising gala at Albert Einstein Academy, a local charter school. As I understand you can't bid on it online; only gala attendees can bid. But if you're a serious bidder, contact me via email... maybe we can make something happen.

Moving into my new studio: building my new table

I've just moved into a new home studio space, and I needed a new, bigger table to work on new, bigger papercuts. Luckily, I know someone who is a talented craftsman and – more importantly – was willing to help me make a table from scratch.

Seriously – we bought lumber and everything.

This was a first for me – I cut paper, but usually not wood. Alan helped me plan what the table would look like based on what I needed it to do – and we started by buying a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood, oak  for the edges, and all sorts of other stuff. He, of course, had all the tools we'd need.

Like this power saw. Yeah, he did a lot of the work – but showed me how to use some great tools, and taught me a lot about quality woodworking. Alan? Definition of the master woodworking perfectionist – no detail too small to be done exactly right. Once we had the board the right size, we added oak edges and drilled for the legs.

In this photo of the underside of the table you can see the pocket holes Alan made with a big, heavy machine made specifically for the purpose – that's how we attached the edges without having any holes in the exterior; it's all hidden underneath.



I'm drilling holes for the legs, which are made to adjust from about 30" to 40" – allowing my plenty of flexibility as I determine the height at which I want to work... and allowing me to change my mind if I wish. Perhaps I'll like cutting at one height, and assembling backgrounds at another... who knows?

The top of the table is a laminate which we glued and rolled on – the trickiest part of the process. Alan and I were glad we got the top on with no bubbles, no bumps, no problems at all. I won't be cutting on the surface – that's what cutting matts are for – but it's a great durable white surface that's easy to clean.



The finished table is 3' x 6', and it looks great in my new studio.

Thanks to Alan, I couldn't be happier with my new table (and my new space) – now I've just got to get the last of my shelving in, put up some track lights, and it'll be the perfect studio.

Super Heroes, Holy Land: "Fantastic City"

I cut this papercut as a navigable map of the Old City of Jerusalem showing its four quarters and major thoroughfares. My favorite route to the Wall is on here (from the Jaffa Gate, through the Armenian Quarter), and I'm sure you'll find your way as well.

Each of the quarters is represented by a member of the Fantastic Four: The Thing for the Jewish Quarter, Mr. Fantastic for the Christian, the Invisible Woman for the Armenian, and the Human Torch for the Muslim. The Temple Mount is backed with academic texts on these religious traditions.

There are pieces of Israeli comics in it as well – including a bit with the Hebrew for "amen" at the site of the Western Wall.

This papercut includes:

Fantastic Four #17 [trade book] (Aug 1963), #248 (Nov 1982), Annual #18 (1984), #265 (Apr 1984), #272 (Nov 1984), #296 (Nov 1986), #297 (Dec 1986), #300 (Mar 1987), #314 (May 1988), #354 (Jul 1991), #410 (Mar 1996), #542 (Jan 2007)
Fantastic Four: Flesh and Stone (2001)
Fantastic Four 2099 #6 (Jun 1990)
The Last Fantastic Four Story #1 (Oct 2007)
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #34 (May 2008)
Silent War #1 (Mar 2007)
The Thing #22 (Apr 1985)
Ultimate Fantastic Four #4 (May 2004), #10 (Oct 2004), #42 (Jul 2007)
Life World Library: Israel. Time Incorporated, New York (1965).
Sacred Books of the World. A.C. Bouquet. Penguin Books, London (1954).

"Fantastic City" is in my current show in Los Angeles, "Super Heroes, Holy Land" – in which all of the papercuts are inspired by my recent family trip to Israel. This one is already sold, but there are still pieces available for purchase.

"Tower of Babel" at the Pacific Design Center

This is "Tower of Babel," which will be included in "One for the Road," an exciting group show being held this Friday, January 31, at the Hudson|Linc gallery at the Pacific Design Center.

This papercut is made with cut-up and reassembled speech bubbles. It's probably obvious why. On the left is the piece in its frame; on the right, a detail shot.

It's Hudson|Linc's last show in this space, it's only for one night. It's a "cash and carry" show, with all works priced at $1000 and under. It's suite B215 at the Big Blue Whale from 5 to 8:30 pm. Artists in the show include:

Anthony Ausgang
Jaime Becker
Debra Bianculli
Dave Bondi
Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik
Gavin Bunner
Sam Dahl
Walpa D'Mark
Chuck Feesago
David French
Tm Gratkowski
Kio Griffith
Paul Guillemette
Zeal Harris
Brian Hollister
Thomas Isaac
James Johnson
Ben Junta
Kohl King
Shannon LaBelle
Olga Lah
Leanne Lee
Nick Lisica
Chris Mercier
Miriam Noske
Mary Anna Pomonis
Steven Poster
Max Presneill
Dominic Quagliozzi
Mike Reynolds
Sandy Rodriguez
Andy Romanoff
Yoshie Sakai
Danny Schaefer
Julia Strickler
Ami Tallman
Christa Toole
Philip Vaughan
Marjan Vayghan
Mike Vegas
Tracey Weiss
Renelle White Buffalo
Steven Wolkoff
Peggy Zask
Essi Zimm

Super Heroes, Holy Land: "Tower of David"

This is "Tower of David" — one of the works in my all-new show, "Super Heroes, Holy Land!"

The Tower of David as it now stands is actually an Ottoman structure, having been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times since it was first built in the second century B.C.E.   — with no connection to King David at all. Nonetheless it has come to represent him and his palace, and has a place on every Jerusalem tourist’s list. In addition to the stone textures taken from comics used to build this paper tower, there are pieces from Theodore Herzl’s speech at the First Zionist Conference and from a traveler’s phrasebook, underscoring the dichotomy between the history of Israel and the way these sites are experienced by the tourist. This papercut includes:

Automatic Kafka #1 (Sep 2002)
300 #2 and #3 (Jun and Jul 1998)
Aquaman #23.1 (Nov 2013)
Dreadstar and Company #6
(Dec 1985)
Green Lantern #23.3 (Nov 2013)
The Infinite Horizon #4 (Sep 2011)
Infinite Vacation #5 (Jan 2013)
Justice League of America #7.4 (Nov 2013)
Secret #2 (Jun 2012)
Warlock and the Infinity Watch #12 (Jan 1993)
Wonder Woman #23.2 (Nov 2013)

Berlitz Hebrew Phrase Book. Grosset & Dunlap, New York (1964).
Israel. Ed. by Yigael Yadin. Massadah Publishing Co. Ltd., Tel Aviv (1958). Portion used is an essay by David Ben-Gurion.
“The Jewish State.” Theodore Herzl, 1896.

The show is open through March 14 at UCLA Hillel's Dortort Gallery in Los Angeles, at 574 Hilgard Avenue; call 310-208-3081 for more information.

And you can see all of the work online in this PDF catalog.

Tonight: opening reception for "Super Heroes, Holy Land"

This is "The Menorah," one of the papercuts in my all-new show, "Super Heroes, Holy Land" – opening tonight at the Dortort Gallery at UCLA Hillel in Los Angeles. The reception is free and open to the public, and goes from 7 to 9 p.m. The show is open through March 14.

The Knesset Menorah, upon which this papercut is based, is itself a history text, with scenes carved into detailing the history of the Jewish people. In “The Menorah,” cut-up scenes and speech bubbles from Daredevil comics stand in lieu of these stories; the story of this blind super hero who faces continual trials and challenges serves as a parallel to the high and low points of our people’s narrative. It includes:

Automatic Kafka #1 (Sep 2002), #3 (Nov 2002), #4 (Dec 2002)
Daredevil [vol 1] #107 (Jul 2008)
Daredevil [vol 2] #56 (Mar 2004)
Daredevil [vol 3] #14 (Aug 2012), #15 (Sep 2012), #16 (Oct 2012), #27 (Aug 2013)
Powerless #3 (2005)
Secret #1 (May 2012)
Testament #9 (Oct 2006), #11 (Dec 2006) 

Jews, God and History. Max Dimont. The New American Library, New York (1964). 

I've posted a PDF catalog of all the work in the show – so please click the link and take a look.

Reception details
Dortort Gallery, UCLA Hillel
574 Hilgard Avenue  •  Los Angeles, CA 90024

Parking is available across the street at on-campus meters; call 310-208-3081 for more information.

Super Heroes, Holy Land: "Tree of Knowledge" (for Tu B'shevat)

This is "Tree of Knowledge," one of the new papercuts premiering in my new show, "Super Heroes, Holy Land" — opening tomorrow night at UCLA Hillel's Dortort Gallery in Westwood.

It seemed an appropriate papercut to share on Tu B'Shevat, the "new year of the trees." It's inspired by a vision of Israel in its early years being planted with trees funded by Jews around the world. This tree is a representation of this bustling growth of the state, backed by cut-up dictionaries and representations of books and libraries from comics.

Opening Night Details
Thursday, January 16, from 7 to 9 at the Dortort Gallery: 574 Hilgard Avenue; LA, CA 90024. Parking is available across the street at on-campus meters; call 310-208-3081 for more information. The show is open through March 14. And if you want to see what else is in the show, please check out the online PDF catalog.

"Super Heroes, Holy Land" catalog now online

I've posted a PDF catalog of all the work in my new show, "Super Heroes, Holy Land" – so please click the link and take a look.

The show comprises all new work exploring Israel's history and its present, as well as the narrative inherent in country-building and the ideals of Zionism. The papercuts show the country in natural as well as architectural settings, in work driven by story and character. They feature cut-up comics, including Israeli ones I purchased on my trip, as well as pieces of old books, maps and ephemera collected during the trip.

You can see all of the work LIVE this Thursday (January 16) at the opening night reception for the show. Join me from 7-9 pm at the Dortort Gallery at UCLA Hillel in Los Angeles: 574 Hilgard Avenue; LA, CA 90024. Parking is available across the street at on-campus meters; call 310-208-3081 for more information. The show is open through March 14.

Rhea Carmi's "Humanity's Struggles"

My opening is next Thursday, January 16, at the Dortort Gallery (at the UCLA Hillel) in Los Angeles from 7 to 9 pm; I'd love to see you there. There are actually three artists opening new shows at the  Hillel that night, which means LOTS of great art for you to enjoy.

Rhea Carmi is one of them. Her work "celebrates with antiquity the everlasting human spirit, which survives the brutality, and insanity of war, aridity and harshness of human nature as it endures." Her series called "Humanity's Struggles" is very strong, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it – here are some detail shots I took when I stopped by last week for a sneak preview.

The opening night reception is free to the public — join me on Thursday, January 16, 2014, from 7-9 pm at the Dortort Gallery at UCLA Hillel in Los Angeles: 574 Hilgard Avenue; LA, CA 90024. Parking is available across the street at on-campus meters; call 310-208-3081 for more information. The show is open through March 14.

Super Heroes, Holy Land: Thickets

Above on the left is my new papercut about the binding of Isaac, called "The Thicket." On the right is a piece by Avner Moriah on the same subject. Both are at the UCLA Hillel building right now – and you can see them and much more on Thursday, January 16.

My new show is called "Super Heroes, Holy Land" and is inspired by my family trip to Israel this past summer. It's all new work, and it's all stunning – and some of the largest work I've yet made.

The opening night reception is Thursday, January 16, from 7 to 9 pm, and it's free to the public. Plus, it's also the opening night for Avner Moriah and Rhea Carmi, who have work in other locations in the Hillel building.

Please join me at the Dortort Gallery at UCLA Hillel in Los Angeles: 574 Hilgard Avenue; LA, CA 90024. Parking is available across the street at on-campus meters; call 310-208-3081 for more information. The show is open through March 14.

Steve Wolkoff and "the power of repitition"

This week I got to meet Steve Wolkoff, a local artist whose current work includes self-described "word piles" which he says are a response to Anish Kapoor’s “1,000 Names.” I *love* that these works are made of paint, and therefore still "paintings."

Above you can see him with a piece about the Torah's 613 mitzvot (plural of mitzvah; in English, commandments) that will be in an upcoming group show in Los Angeles. He told me about the significance of the white and the blue in this, his first non-monotone pile. The 248 white mitzvot represent the "positive" commandments, the number of bones and main organs in the human body (per the Talmud); the 365 blue represent the "negative" commandments, one for each day in the solar year. So, yeah – he wrote/painted the word mitzvah 613 times and built a pile out of them.

You can check out more of his work on his website – I suggest you start with his piece titled, "the names of all my facebook friends," which I find presents an interesting commentary on our contemporary obsession with social networks. He writes:

I recreated the facebook experience in paint. I wrote the names of all my facebook friends in “facebook-blue” acrylic squiggles. Like facebook, some friends’ names are fully visible; others are partially obscured; most are lost within the mass of other friends – they are there, but you will never see them on your wall.

Super Heroes, Holy Land: "Jerusalem of Gold"

This is "Jerusalem of Gold," one of the new pieces I'm premiering in my next show, which opens on January 16 at the Dortort Gallery in Los Angeles.

The show is called "Super Heroes, Holy Land!" and it's inspired by my family trip to Israel this past summer — my first time back since my wife and I lived in Jerusalem for a year in the mid 1990s.

The show explores  Israel's history and its present, as well as the narrative inherent in country-building and the ideals of Zionism. The papercuts feature cut-up comics, including Israeli comics I purchased on my trip, as well as pieces of old books, maps and ephemera collected in Israel.

The opening night reception is free to the public, and there are two other artists premiering new work that same evening – a great night of art! Please join me on Thursday, January 16, 2014, from 7-9 p.m. at the Dortort Gallery at UCLA Hillel in Los Angeles: 574 Hilgard Avenue; LA, CA 90024. Parking is available across the street at on-campus meters; call 310-208-3081 for more information. The show is open through March 14.

“Jerusalem of Gold” references the story of Rabbi Akiva giving his wife a tiara with this name — just as the papercut explores the role of women in prayer and the continuing evolution and pursuit of gender equality at the Kotel (the Western Wall). The women in this piece are relegated to the margins, away from the Wall — and the speech bubble above Wonder Woman and her companion is blank, representing the silencing of women’s voices at this holy site.

On Being the URJ Biennial Artist-in-Residence

What an incredible experience. Five thousand Reform Jews from around the world (mostly from North America) gathering together in San Diego for the 2013 URJ Biennial, where I was the artist-in-residence.

Getting started in my mobile studio.

I had three things to get done: the first was to create an original artwork inspired by Biennial, created entirely at Biennial in the kikar (the “public square”). The second was to share my process with anyone and everyone who came by my mobile studio, and the third was to lead a workshop in papercutting and help people make their own art.

The first piece cut.

I’d never had to work in public in this way before – and it was certainly a challenge. It’s one thing to be working in the safety of my studio, where I can make decisions (and mistakes) on my own and not worry about how messy the process can be. To be exposed like I was, with people watching me sketch and cut and search and paste... it was unnerving at times, but energizing at others. The hardest part might have been finding enough time to keep working on the papercut while talking to so many people who wanted to hear about my process.

Left, the mountain begins to take shape. Right: one of the first background pieces.

As for the workshop: three dozen people joined me to express ourselves through the cutting of paper. Margaret and Lou and Shoshana and Joe and Robin and Wilma and Heidi... so many wonderful budding artists. It was both exhausting and invigorating. We had four hours together, and I am so proud of the work everyone made.

Photo from the URJ

Photo from the URJ

And somehow it happened: although Wednesday morning I had only a large blank sheet of cold-press watercolor stock, by Saturday night I had completed “Gathering.”



Wednesday I studied and sketched, Thursday I cut paper to create the top layer, Friday I disassembled and then reassembled pieces from comic books and maps and other ephemera to create the background, and Saturday after my workshop I put the last pieces together.

The idea inspiring the piece is simple, really – I came to see the Biennial as a “Sinai moment,” all of us gathered together to worship and receive Torah and study and learn.



As with all of my work, words from Torah informed the piece. In Exodus 19:18 we read, “Now Mount Sinai was all in smoke, for Adonai descended upon it in fire, and the smoke rose like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled violently.” That’s the way I like to think of Revelation – as a kiln. The smoke of God’s presence surrounding the top of the mountain reminds us that we are not just gathering, but creating. We came together to discuss strengthening our movement and building a vibrant and relevant Jewish future.



The mountain itself is built out of the honeycomb iconography of the Biennial, with the riot of colors and textures underneath reflecting the content of the sessions, the sanctity of our prayers, and the specific geography of Biennial. The space surrounding the mountain is made of cut-up books and ephemera, including a dictionary and an encyclopedia, with references to Sinai, San Diego, Torah, music, prayer and the Reform movement.

The completed papercut: "Gathering"

I am grateful to have been given the opportunity to serve as Biennial artist-in-residence; it was a pleasure and a privilege to study and teach and learn and create with this community.

“Gathering” includes these comics (and more) in the background:

• Action Comics #25 (Jan 2014)
• Animal Man #2 (Dec 2001)
• Batman: The Black Glove (2008)
• Captain Atom #3 (Jan 2012)
• The Flash: Rebirth #1 (June 2009)
• Green Arrow #22 (May 2003)
• Green Arrow and Black Canary #8 (Jul 2008)
• Green Lantern: Fear Itself #1 (2011)
• Infinite Vacation #5 (Jan 2013)
• Invincible Iron Man #25 (Aug 2010)
• Justice League #1 (Oct 2011)
• Metamorpho and Aquaman #1 (Oct 2007)
• Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #25 (Feb 2007)
• Testament #3 (Apr 2006)
• Wonder Woman #10 (Aug 2007)

“Gathering” also includes pieces of the following:

• The Future of Judaism in America, by Eugene Kohn. (The Liberal Press, New York, 1934.)
• Union Hymnal, Third Edition. The Central Conference of American Rabbis, New York, 1958).
• Pathways Through the Bible, by Mortimer J. Cohen. (The Jewish Publication Society of America, New York, 1966).

The final work will hang in the URJ’s New York offices, and for a limited time we are making archival giclée prints available to anyone interested in having a reminder of Biennial for themselves. The prints measure 16” x 20” and will be mailed in an artwork tube; the price is $120.00 (including domestic shipping), and the proceeds are being split with the Union for Reform Judaism. To order, please visit my online store.

Gathering

I'll have a blog post in the next few days about my experience as artist-in-residence for the URJ 2013 Biennial – in the meantime, here's a photo of the piece I created while at Biennial, titled "Gathering." Details on this to come soon as well, but here's the bullet: inspired by Biennial, created entirely at Biennial in my mobile studio, it represents the "Sinai moment" we 5000 Reform Jews participated in at Biennial.

The original will reside in the URJ offices in New York, but you can purchase a limited edition archival giclée print here.

New postcards!

I received my new postcards in the mail today, featuring "Jerusalem of Gold." Want one? Swing by my table in the Kikar at the URJ Biennial and get one!

Come see me cutting at the 2013 URJ Biennial in San Diego this month

I'm proud to share with you that I'm the artist-in-residence for the 2013 Union for Reform Judaism Biennial, and I'll be cutting a new papercut live in the Kikar (town square): Wednesday through Friday, December 11-13; if you're attending, please come by and see me!

Happy Hanukkah! And Thanksgiving, too!

I made you a little something, with the help of Normal Rockwell. Whatever you're celebrating, I hope you enjoy it.