12” x 12” x 1-1/2”

Original acrylic and canvas cloth painting with thread on canvas

The focus of Kaddish 1 is on the Hebrew prayer often referred to as the Mourner’s Kaddish. I have always loved the flow of rhythmic sounds as these Hebrew words are recited aloud, particularly in a group. There is a cadence to the recitation that becomes a shared journey.

First, the strips of canvas cloth were prepared to become the lines of text to be used in the painting. I found myself creating enough strips to produce multiple paintings. Hence, the name Kaddish 1. The strips appear on the surface of a painted and prepared cloth square which is sewn onto the textured back canvas.

 While developing the painting, I never had a clear vision of where it was going. The painting seemed to keep showing me the next step. You may notice that the text strips are not lying flat. Each one has an area that is raised up (one of the accompanying images shows it pretty clearly).

The final element was adding the lines of text (English transliteration) around the edges of the painting.