"The Holy Essence of Blessing transformed itself into letters in order to take up residence within the underworlds"
Midrash Tanchuma, Naso 16
This latest illumination is about being as "enletterment". Life is encoded, as we know. From the standpoint of Hebraic Mystical Tradition, the Hebrew letters themselves .are the matrix of mattering. All aspects of Life are embedded with a resonant frequency, a song cycle.
It was wonderful to find that the central spinning geometry precisely incorporated all 22 Hebrew letters beginning with Alef in the center.
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| work in progress |
Two bees find there place to imbibe Divine nectar from the flowers.
I have the sense that the spheres on either side are the sefirot of cHesed and Gevura - "fluid benevolence" and "restraint," harmonizing the elements.
I thought of this at first as a threshold piece, something in a garden, maybe a library's garden. The vertigris patina is so subtly lovely however, that I'd rather see it a bit more protected. Still as threshold sema, perhaps, but at the covered entrance to a home or a library. I even think it would make an exquisite crown to Hekhál or Aron Hakodesh (Torah Ark) within an intimate setting, or as a focus piece on a mantle or within a circumscribed sacred space.
The size is relatively small - 25" wide by 14" high by 1" deep. Lighting from behind would amplify the swirling pattern of the glass plate behind the central geometry and the textured glass behind the two sefirot.
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| Acid-etched copperwork illumination with cutwork backed in textured glass. Letters are engraved. Framed in cedar. |
hebrew art for sale
Another exquisite, powerful work is manifesting through you, Shahna! Thank you for dedicating your life to this process! Oh those jumbling, bumbling letters and bees! Sweet Nectar indeed!
ReplyDeleteI was also very charmed that two bees needed bumble in. Thanks Karin!
DeleteThis is so very beautiful and intricate. I love there are bees and love the cedar frame too to protect and house it. Though I would love to see it in real time with the glass behind it,hope you do sell this one now. You are such a fertile field of creativity.
ReplyDeleteThank you Earthborn. Bees definitely inspire the fertile field. Cutting the cedar for the frame filled the room with a delightful aroma. It has been a while since I've used cedar as a frame. I was so pleased that this one called for it.
DeleteIt has been pointed out in a private email that NITAVAH - the first word of the quote from Tanchuma means "lust". It does indeed. "Lust," "Desire"... The beauty of Hebrew is the spectrum of meaning that informs the experience of the verb/word. NITAVAH is a passive reflexive form of the 3-lettered root verb Alef Vav Hey, from which the word for "letter" - OT is derived. It is based on that derivation that the translation "Enlettered" came to me. That the "enletterment" elicits "Lust" and "Desire" makes it all the more delicious!
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