L'shanah tovah!

"The Golem" now showing in Foster City

"The Golem" (18" x 24", mixed media) is now showing at the Peninsula JCC in Foster City, California – it's one of my many new works in the show, which will be open from January 4 through March 19, 2013.

Legend tells us that in times of danger there are those in the Jewish shtetls and villages who have brought life to animate matter, creating golems to protect the populace. The golem is given life with the inscription of the Hebrew word “emet” (“truth”) across its forehead; when its task is done the aleph is erased, leaving only “met” (“death”). Tony Stark created the Iron Man armor to protect those who can not protect themselves, hence the form of the golem’s head in this papercut, backed with cut-up comics featuring clay and mud, and watercolors by the artist to imbue the piece with a handmade element to mirror the creation of the golem.

At the top are the three Hebrew letters which make the word “emet,” obscured through overlapping to maintain the secret of the golem’s power; the letters are backed with cut-up Iron Man comics.

For details on the show – and on the reception on Sunday, February 10, at which I'll be giving a talk and leading a tour of the gallery – visit the PJCC website.

A big color catalog of all works on display is available for download as a PDF here.

Seven to Seventy

Completed a new piece tentatively titled "Seven to Seventy" (click the pix to see it larger). It's a revelation piece, with a lot of midrash in it. Look for seven bolts of lightning, Captain Marvel, pieces from a chumash index, watercolor, and more. Here are some close-up shots (click make them larger):

I expect this will be in my September show in Northern California -- details will be posted here once I get them settled.

El na r'fa na la

I've been working on a "healing" piece lately for a possible book cover project -- here's what I've come up with. It's a combination of papercutting, watercolor, and digital collage.

This work is based on the eponymous episode in Bamidbar (Numbers) 12:13 in which Miriam falls ill and her brother Moses prays to God saying, "Heal her now, O God, I beseech Thee" (which is what the title of this work means in English).

I've represented Moses's hands reaching up and out towards the heavens, represented by seven blocks of watercolor; these blocks stand for the seven pillars of cloud which protected the Israelites on their journey through the desert. Behind the cut-out hands is a portion from an old Torah commentary that had been headed for ritual burial in the genizah.

Noah's Ark and the Collapse of Linearity

At the urging of David Lynch, I'm sharing a recent piece that's probably going to wind up in my upcoming show in January 2010 at the Merage Jewish Community Center of Orange County. It's a double cut focused on Noah's Ark, which collapses the narrative and eliminates the linear flow of time through which lens we humans usually view history -- so in viewing this piece we experience the flood and the rainbow covenant simultaneously.

As usual, the work is copyright 2009 by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik.

Father's Day Cards

I just received a package today from Sunrise Greetings, a card company in Bloomington, Indiana. I do some card design for them every so often, and today's box had samples of a Father's Day card I illustrated for them. It's watercolor on watercolor stock, collaged together to form a shirt and tie (which I hope is obvious). If you want to order some for yourself call Sunrise Greetings at 800 457 4045 and ask for the new Father's Day cards by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik (item # RFDGC.94484.1)!