I have been an Artist ever since my childhood!  I remember painting, drawing, sewing, decorating, and finding treasures on my nature walks, always returning with pockets full of stones, shells, flowers, snails, sticks, and a head full of inspiration, imagination, and dreams!  I remember what my Grandmother told me as a little girl:  "You have an eye of an artist!"  For me, it meant I had a distinct perspective and ability to see beyond the surface, such that I can add my imagination, and create what is called, art.  In my jewelry, I bring together organic materials with my inspiration, and mix it with imagination, to create stories in metal and stones!  I also bring other people's stories and imagination to create jewelry from them!  My homeland is Israel, a land of ancient history and holy places.  For me, it is my homeland.  I love its nature and the experience of being there.  My adventurous nature and desire to explore have guided me to many countries, a major one being the United States!  I am inspired by places, people, colors, children's laughter, flowers, rivers, the smell of fresh bread, sand dunes, trees, small turtles, lakes, and more...  Often, when I observe a stone or a place, I travel in my imagination to bring a piece of jewelry to life!  It always touches my heart when people appreciate my creations!  I hope you will be inspired and enjoy them, too!

We would like to introduce Joel Barr - an Atlanta artist who has been showing at the gallery almost from its inception.  He's participated in our group shows with themes from abstract art to food-related works.  We are proud that his solo show for us, LIFE LINES and OTHER STORIES included an 11-piece original, sequential, and narrative work painted just for the exhibition.  In addition to the shows here, he also presented an evening gallery talk on "The Artful Life."  We've asked him to speak briefly about that life and about his current work.

"I've been an oil painter for over 25 years and am still happily exploring what oils can do.  I love their history and the connection they provide to artists across time.  I sculpt as well and always finish those works with oil painting.

I know that I am one of the lucky ones and an incredibly grateful for that.  Most every day, I get to go to my studio and disappear into its world full of art and stories.  For me, those things are inseparable.

Each day, I look for a shape, a color, or a quick peek at something new.  That creative spark may come from something outside me - the play of sunshine on water maybe or the weaving of notes in a ballad that is new to me.  It might also be generated from inside - a memory of Florida shies in winter or the look on my dog's face when he first realizes that a treat is at hand.  That smell hint of insight or mystery is what I will build on in my art.

In the end, what I want to do is to share that bit of news I've somehow discovered.  I hope my art - paintings or sculpture - will be a prod for viewers to broaden the story.  What happened before this scene?  What happens afterwards?  When all is working right, that story will change and be enriched each time the viewer sees the work.

Right now, I'm excited about the interplay of the written and visual arts.  I come to painting with a writing background and find that I'm returning, after over two decades, to writing as part of my daily creative life.  Words have been finding their way into my paintings, sometimes directly and sometimes with more subtlety.

At the heart of all my work is a story.  For me, everyone and everything carries a story and, along with those who see my art, I am forever curious to hear that story, to fill in the parts I cannot know, and to share this experience in what I create."