Kavanah – Captain America and the Flash Under the Hupah

Congratulations and mazal tov to the newest Jewish family – Captain America and the Flash! Or, Hillel Smith and Joshua Matz – whose rings include the symbols of those heroes. I'm proud to share with you that I was commissioned to create their wedding contract, and I'm excited to share it with you here.


It's driven by the concept of kavanah — intention. It’s a reflection of how Hillel and Joshua feel about themselves and each other; it’s about their choices about life, work, and their relationship — and how they relate to the world around them. It’s made with the tools and ritual objects of their trades, and the ritual objects that unite you at your wedding. In the same way that Joshua (a lawyer) uses words and laws to fight for justice and Hillel (an artist) uses pigments and pixels to create beauty, so they take these rings and drink from a shared cup and stand under a hupah. Our tradition is about making intentional choices in who we are and how we lives our lives, and no moment exemplifies this more than the wedding – in front of family and friends, living your kavanah. Hillel and Joshua both invest so much in themselves and in each other and what they do: their passions, their intensity, their dedication... their ideas and words, and the actions that bring them to fruition.

Speech bubbles from the first mainstream comic book same-sex wedding
(and Kirby Krackle in the kiddush cup!)

The structure is meant to evoke the Art Deco feel of the Majestic Hotel, where they got married, in an abstracted hupah arrangement, incorporating the tools of their kavanah (actual and metaphorical): pencil and quill, scales, compass and calipers — as well as the ritual objects that will be a part of the wedding: the rings and the wine cup. The tools are all meant to apply to each of the grooms — pencils and quills are used to write words and draw pictures; compasses and calipers allow us to measure and to create, and so on.

The lower corners feature many of the places they have traveled together

The background includes cut-up maps featuring many of the places they’ve traveled to together, as a reminder that whatever place you are in, that’s your home: with each other. The hupah is a representation of that home, and your marriage is that home — wherever it may be. Hence the speech bubble reading “this is the place.”

Their papercut rings feature Captain America and Flash logos, just like in real life

The background comics include comics from Hillel and Joshua as well as the artist’s personal collection, particularly featuring Captain America and the Flash (in nod to their rings), the new Iceman series they’ve been reading together, a number of quotes from the first mainstream comics gay marriage in the Astonishing X-Men... and Spider-Man, Daredevil, Green Arrow, and so on.

Comics used include:

Captain America #322 (Oct 1986), #600 (Aug 2009)
Captain America: Bicentennial Battles #1 (1976) – Jack Kirby oversize special
Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #1 (Sep 1998)

Captain America and Iron Man #634 (Sep 2012)

Daredevil #501 (Dec 2009), #430 (Oct 2003), #17 (Sep 2015)

The Flash #10 (Jan 2017), #21 (Jun 2017)
Flash Annual #3 (1989)

Iceman #1 (Aug 2017), #2 (Sep 2017), #4 (Oct 2007), #5 (Nov 2017)
X-Men #92 (Sep 1999)
Astonishing X-Men #51 (Aug 2012) – first mainstream comic book same-sex wedding

Web of Spider-Man #126 (Jul 1995)
Spectacular Spider-Man #189 (Jun 1992)
Spider-Man #80 (May 1997)

Justice #2 (Dec 2005)
Green Arrow #2 (Sep 2016), #3 (Sep 2016)

Our Own Blood (Reuben)

Our Own Blood (Reuben)
11" x 14"
Mixed media
2017

The mandrake is the symbol of Reuben, first son of Jacob; the biblical account tell us that he gave some mandrakes to his mother Leah to help with her infertility (Genesis 30:14). This papercut is made from comics featuring Marvel Comics' Wakandan King T’Challa, the Black Panther — the first black super hero in mainstream comic books. T’Challa’s birthright makes demands on him that he must balance against his own desires, as Reuben must later choose whether to wage war alongside his brothers. The pressure of primogeniture, the balance between family and responsibility to the outside world – these are the experiences of Reuben and T'Challa.

With representations of Black Panther drawn from his entire publication history – from his first appearances by Jack Kirby through the recent series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and drawn by Brian Stelfreeze — this papercut is the first of twelve in my newest series, which is an exploration of diversity and family. Just as the tribes were different from one another in character and vision, so are the tribes that make up the United States — and our nation is at its best when we join together.

Each of the papercuts in the series is made from cut-up comics featuring a minority super hero, in an effort to focus on these less-frequently heard voices, and to celebrate them. At the same time, I think about this series as voices of American dissent, at a time when we must all stand together and speak up against evil to ensure that our vision of a more perfect union remains intact.

The series is showing through the first week of May (2017) at Brave New World Comics in Newhall, California; details here. The original "Our Own Blood (Reuben)" is still available for purchase; giclée prints of all twelve are available on my store site.

Kirby, Barda, and "Women of Valor"

Last week I stopped by the CSUN Art & Design Gallery to see a show titled "Comic Book Apocalypse: The Graphic World of Jack Kirby" – and it was made of awesome, as expected. Any comic book fan is a fan of Jack Kirby – he created most of the Marvel super heroes, as well as an entirely new pantheon for DC called the New Gods. Stan Lee called him the King.

It was great to see original panels drawn and inked by Kirby, as well as the actual comics made from those panels... but also to see some of the groundbreaking collage work that Kirby created for a lot of the comics he drew. Masterful work.

And of course, it was fun to see some of the characters and comics I'm cutting up for my show (which opens this Sunday, October 18), including Big Barda – one of the New Gods. In a reversal of the stereotype associated with female characters at the time of her creation (in the mid 1970s), Barda is physically more powerful than her husband, Mister Miracle, and very protective of him. They're a cute couple.

Kirby artwork on the left; my papercut "Aleph Barda Gimmel" on the right.

I've got three pieces in my show based on the same stucture, which incorporates the first three letters of the Hebrew alphabet: "Armor Bet Gimmel," "Aleph Barda Gimmel," and "Aleph Bet Gwen." It's the second of the three that features Barda (obviously) and emphasizes the Hebrew letter "bet." The first one features Armor (a young mutant hero in the X-Men), and the third features Gwen Stacy – known early on only as a romantic foil for Peter Parker (Spider-Man) but in recent years an alternate dimension version of the character has arisen as the very powerful (and popular) Spider-Gwen.

Inundación

This is "Inundación," a new papercut I'm premiering this Saturday night at Brave New World Comics, as part of my new show: "You did WHAT to my comics?!?"

The story of the flood pervades many cultures across the globe. "Inundación" draws from Biblical narrative and Mesoamerican iconography, backed almost entirely by cut-up pieces from the 2008 trade edition of Jack Kirby’s mid-70s comic book series "The Eternals." The one exception is a snippet of text from LIFE Nature Library: The Sea published by Time-Life Books in 1972.

For more details about the show, click here.

New ark doors at Adath Jeshrun feature "Burning Bush: Flame On"

As you can see in the image above, the design of the new ark doors at Congregation Adath Jeshrun in Louisville, Kentucky, is based on my recently completed papercut, "Burning Bush: Flame On."

The doors were made by Todd Deetsch of Interior FX, Inc.; he adapted the design into a three-color application in cooler colors, having been directed by the congregation to avoid warmer colors.

Inspired by the first chapter of the book of Shemot (aka Exodus) in the Torah, in the papercut I tried to convey the sense of wonder and awe that Moses felt upon encountering the Burning Bush in the desert and hearing God's voice speak to him from its midst. The background is made up of cut-up comics (including quite a few variations on the Human Torch, from the Fantastic Four), but also a bit of a Chumash that was destined for the genizah. And of course, just to the right above center the eponymous words, "Flame on!"

Todd tells me that the gold colored lead is Dutch metal, and that he used both standard gilding and a "broken gilding" technique to create the different values of gold. The blue-colored leaf is actually real silver leaf that is hand-dipped into an acrylic resin, and the silver-colored leaf is actually aluminum, also done in a "broken gilding" technique. You can see the colors nicely in this detail of one of the doors:

The papercut will be on display (and available for purchase) at my upcoming show this fall in Northern California; I'll have details here on my blog later this summer.

"Burning Bush: Flame On" now showing in Memphis

I've mentioned that the show I have going on now in Memphis includes more pieces that just the "Paper Tefillah" series; here's one of the other papercuts on exhibition there right now. It's part of my "paper midrash" work, and this one is called "Burning Bush: Flame On."

Inspired by the first chapter of the book of Shemot (aka Exodus) in the Torah, it's another attempt to convey the sense of wonder and awe that Moses felt upon encountering the Burning Bush in the desert and hearing God's voice speak to him from its midst. This is a story I keep returning to in my work; as I try to understand the role and presence of the Divine in our lives, this is one of those moments that continues to intrigue me.

The background is made up of cut-up comics (including quite a few variations on the Human Torch, from the Fantastic Four), but also a bit of a Chumash that was destined for the genizah. You can see a hint of green in the upper reaches, as we are told that although the bush was on fire, it was not consumed. And of course, just to the right above center the eponymous words, "Flame on!"

It's available for sale, by the way -- the original and archival prints; let me know if you're interested by dropping me an email.

Paper Tefillah series: "Yotzeir"

Here's a photo of the completed "Yotzeir" papercut -- part of the "paper tefillah" series I've created for a show this January in Memphis. It's structured around the ten sefirot (סְפִירוֹת) -- according to Kabbalah, the ten attributes of God through which the universe is sustained. These sefirot are often described in metaphor as vessels of light. Here's an excerpt of the text of this morning prayer:

Be praised, Adonai our God, for the excellence of your handiwork, and for the lights You created: may they glorify You.

Back with comics (as is the rest of the series), you can see some Firestorm, some of Frank Miller's Ronin, Peter Gillis' all-digital graphic novel Shatter, some Kirby krackle, and plenty more -- but you'll have to wait for the show catalog to see the entire listing.

"Pillar of Fire" featured in Jack Kirby Collector #55

Just a little mention, but it's always nice to be included. Issue 55 of Jack Kirby Collector, a zine that celebrates the life and career of the "King" of comics, included a detail from my "Pillar of Cloud, Pillar of Fire" papercut in an Adam McGovern-penned article on Kirby-inspired work: "Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik's minimal mosaics of biblical wonders and pulp fable special effects." Here's what the original cut looks like in its entirety (click to see it bigger):

Click here to see the article -- which also mentions one of my fave comic-inspired rock bands, Kirby Krackle.

(And yes -- I noticed that it's incorrectly titled "Burning Bush" in the article -- but it's the pillar, all right.)

Beware the trickery of "Trickster Coyote"

I've completed my "Trickster Coyote" papercut today! Based on the traditional Native American representation of Trickster Coyote, the piece uses cut-up Loki comics as background texture, bringing together an ancient trickster with a comic book counterpart. The Loki pieces are from Thor comics throughout the 20th century, including some Jack Kirby and John Buscema. There are also some Native American colors and textures (courtesy of Alpha Flight and The Ringo Kid), and a few other surprises here and there.

This piece, and many others, will be on display in my upcoming one-man show at Brave New World Comics (the opening reception is Saturday, September 11).

"Incredible" Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil

Yesterday I finished a new papercut of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil from the Garden of Eden -- I call it "incredible" because the background texture comprises cut-up pieces of comics featuring "The Incredible Hulk."


In this piece I'm exploring the double-edged knowledge humankind gets from exploiting the atom -- on the one hand, the potential for great power, and on the other, the potential for great destruction; ask Dr. Bruce Banner about the negative side, and you'll get it.

The shape of the tree is partial allusion to a mushroom cloud, and it's filled with the Hulk (and foliage) from a wide-ranging collection of comics -- including the work of Jack Kirby in the first Hulk comics all the way up through recent storylines like "World War Hulk."

You'll find a few different fruits (keeping with the rabbis' suggestion that we don't specifically identify which tree it was in order to avoid embarrassing it), and as usual I've also thrown in a few caption bubbles. Here are a few detail shots (click the pix below to see them larger) -- but if you want to see it live (and really, there's no better way to appreciate it), stay tuned for details on my upcoming Fall show at Brave New World Comics in Santa Clarita.

"Number Theory: Heroes"

Just completed this piece to submit to Deloitte -- yes, my work life and art life have come together in a weird venn diagram of awesomeness.

So I made this piece specifically for Deloitte, as part of the Deloitte University project -- they're planning to decorate the campus with artwork created by the people of Deloitte. Here's what I said in my submission:

My art is a blending of traditions, using the mythos and imagery of comic books to explore themes of identity and connection to the world around us.

In this piece, which I created specifically for submission to Deloitte University, the papercut is built on a structure of the ten basic Hindu-Arabic numerals (0123456789), symbolizing the outward appearance of an organization built on – and dedicated to – numbers. But of course, Deloitte is much more than that – it is an organization of individuals, who each bring with them particular strengths and skills and backgrounds and make the organization more than the sum of its parts, and more than just about “numbers.” We are, all of us, heroes to ourselves and to others; it’s part of our shared values that we be the best we can be, and that we help others to do the same. And so the background texture for the cut is a collection of superheroes, representing our strength and diversity and commitment to individual performance, positive team dynamics, and joint success.

And yes, I do *love* where I work.

Paper Midrash:Fountains of the Deep

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, all the fountains of the deep came bursting through, and the windows of heaven were opened.” (Bereshit/Genesis 7:11).

This is a different take on Noah's Ark -- different for me, at least. Instead of focusing on the rains falling from above, I'm looking at the waters from below. In verse 7:17 we read, "the waters increased, and bore up the ark" -- and so it is here. Still finalizing the colors a bit, but it's pretty close to complete. And check out this detail shot.


Comics fans, be on the lookout for work by Jack Kirby, John Romita Jr., Alex Ross, Steve Ditko, and more -- pieces of The Punisher, The Avengers, Spider-Man, Superboy, Aquaman, Batman ... oh, so much good stuff!

If you like this and want to see more like it IN PERSON, please go check out my show called "Paper Midrash" at the Merage Jewish Community of Orange County through February 26. More details are available on my website.

Paper Midrash featured at Kirby-Vision

Please head on over to the very awesome Kirby-Vision blog of the Kirby Museum; you'll see a small feature on my work and the upcoming show, "Paper Midrash."