Those who know me well know that I like to say that Elul is my favorite month. It may seem an odd choice, given that there is the happiness of Adar and the joy of Pesach in Nisan, but, for me the sense of renewal, of tshuvah, returning to Hashem is indescribably strong. I became a Jew in Elul, just one week before Rosh Hashana. That first Rosh Hashanah a friend who had been so helpful during my learning process prior to my conversion joked that I didn’t have much to do tshuvah for. In the years after, of course, I had many things that needed repentance and repair. There is a process during Elul-Tefillah, Tshuvah, Tzedakah (prayer, repentance, charity)-that helps us along the path leading to the Yomim Noraim. As a woman, many years I had difficulty staying focused on those three actions. Children, household duties, and life often distracted my focus. As an artist, I always wanted to express my love and gratitude to Hashem through the gift He gave me. This year I had planned to create an Elul-inspired piece of art each weekday of the month. This did not work out as planned. Firstly, after not working regularly for over a year, the creativity was hibernating. I discovered, once again, a lesson I never seem to remember: I can’t grab my brushes and instantly make magic. It’s a daily job to make marks, erase them, start over, adjust, finesse, and just plain fiddle until I have something I almost feel is complete. This is an Elul lesson, at least for me. I can’t just grab my teshuvah and pray it will be magnificent on Rosh Hashanah. It’s a daily thing. I need to make my mistakes, erase them by not repeating them, start over, adjust, finesse, and just plain fiddle until I feel I’m making some progress towards being a Jew who serves Hashem with all my heart, soul, and might. But, of course, it’s never a process that is complete.

August 19, 2014

Being a Jewish, female artist can get complicated. I don’t think art should be called “Jewish Art” or “Feminist Art”, but the art produced by a Jewish artist might very well have a certain sensibility which differs from art produced by an artist with differing religious identity. I chose to join the Jewish people in 1976 and living Jewishly has affected my outlook and my art. It can’t help but be felt in much of my work, whether overtly Jewish or not.

At the same time, I am a woman who grew up in the Mad Men world of the 60s. I was a young job seeker asked over and over if I typed (not very well) and could file. I’ve seen tremendous changes for women and yet some attitudes have not changed  and young women face things I did not.

All of this ends up in my art. Add to that my own quirky way of seeing and you get Giliah’s art.

In the past few years I have felt an increasing desire to express myself in words as well as in pictures. Hence, “I Am That Stranger” and “Diptychs and Triptychs”, under Current Projects on my site. Words that don’t fit there will end up here.