Minyan Room

Art and identity are very closely meshed. When we create art, we do it with our personal experience directly or indirectly in mind, and that includes the imagery, traditions, and cultures in which we were raised. For me, my Jewish heritage is very much a part of who I am, even though my spiritual journey has been complex and, at times, demoralizing. Still, that doesn't take away from my heritage and the gifts of awareness and service that it has given me.

Out of the nearly 20,000 players who have sat on major league rosters, a handful have been Jewish. I wanted to honor some of them in this gallery, which includes a number of players from the 1950s to the present day. In making these paintings, I didn't want to make them artificially Jewish in terms of themes, or images of Judaica, but I wanted them to bring to mind the work of artists who brought the magic of Jewish life to images that stand for all of us. Two that I have especially in mind are Marc Chagall, who brought to life the magic and mysticism of life in the shtetl (small Jewish towns in Eastern Europe), and Leonard Baskin, who was a prolific illustrator of Jewish sacred books and literature, but considered himself primarily as a sculptor.

Traditionally, a Jewish service or gathering requires ten people (traditionally men, but in this day and age one hopes that it is becoming less and less gender-specific) -- a minyan -- to be official. So I am launching this gallery with ten cards. As with the other galleries, please have a look around and leave a comment below if you wish. I create my paintings to be shared, enjoyed, and talked about; I hope you do so here.