Deb & Michael's Ketubah

I finally have some images to share of the Ketubah that I created for a friends wedding this past fall. The text is surrounded by acrylic painting and has a resin finish. (resin was applied after the bride and groom signed on their wedding day)

A Ketubah is The Jewish Marriage Contract, and is a tradition in Jewish wedding customs and in Jewish history. The Art of the Ketubah entails a unique document known as a marriage contract that outlines marital responsibilities and, at the same time, is set into an artful background.

The ketubah is signed by two witnesses and traditionally read out loud under the chuppah. Close family friends or distant relatives are invited to witness the ketubah, which is considered an honor. I couldn't have been more excited to be such an integral part of this very special day, and was my most intimate and personal commission yet.

Marks by Aaron Nagel

Later Saturday we moved on to the opening reception over at White Walls and Shooting Gallery. Aaron Nagel, from Oakland, displays his show, Marks, at the Shooting Gallery. 11 pieces showcase stunning women which are portrayed as Catholic martyrs. Although most are penetrated by arrows, the women seem unaffected, if not calming. The black paint dripping from the women's hands represents a guilty past. What freaks me out the most was to find that Nagel is entirely self taught. His work is absolutely stunning - I couldn't get enough.

SOMA Saturday

Sometimes I take this little city of ours for granted - after living here for 10+ years I forget how many treasures are hidden around each corner, underground gatherings, unique experiences that only one can really experience in this utopia we call our home - San Francisco.

First stop, 31 Rausch Gallery for my friend Adam Wier's photography show: I got 5 on it.

While searching for this tiny gallery which I had never been to or even heard of - We stumbled upon what appeared to be a large garage/warehouse one block over, with a line of people down the street and around the parking lot next door. At first I wondered if this was the show, and thought to myself that I might not be cut out to wait in this line. I didn't have to - I found out that this was San Francisco's "Underground Farmers Market". Apparently this venue where you can taste the food that is being made in the kitchens of our fair city - and it moves around from month to month. The reason why? To sell at a farmers market, you need to produce your creations in a commercial kitchen. This is an impossible expense for many people, so the underground farmers market lets home producers get their products into the light. These are veterans, people who’ve been making their products for years, but only able to share them with friends.

Amazing! All these folks waiting in line for the underground Farmers Market, on a Saturday night, 10pm. Back on track to find Adam's show.... Finally arriving at 31 Rausch. It's essentially... a hallway. However what's so great about it is that it's a non-profit art space with everything priced under $200, and artists can take 100% of the sales. As an artist, that is a concept I can get used to. This encourages artists peers to purchase art, and the artists to create experimental work.

I got 5 on it: The show is explained:"Rambling around the finite physical world, photographer’s visions are bound to cross paths, intersecting across time, space and intent at touchstone subject matter. We've called a group of 20 photographers back to 5 such seminal subject crossroads. A chair, a flower, a window, a tree, and the road; these are subjects we have found our way to, in our own way, on our own way".

It was a fantastic concept - all artists presented the same 5 subjects. The show could be viewed by subject matter or by artist, creating two completely different viewpoints of the work and forcing the viewer to examine more than meets the eye.