A Process Painting in the Study of Lech L'Cha (see it move!)
Nov 08, 2018
Flying Forth, A Raven or a Dove
I was fortunate to have been in the third cohort of the Jewish Studio Immersive at The Jewish Studio Project in Berkeley. Have you heard of process painting? Like it sounds, it's all about the process, rather than the product. It's a creative way to clear your mind and soul (it's a therapeutic experience, for sure!) Now, this was the first time I'd done process painting in a Jewish context — The Jewish Studio Project may be the first of its kind in the world. We studied the Torah portion Lech L'Cha (Go Forth) in Chevruta (partnership), then in the larger group we talked about our realizations, insights, and experiences. Next, we painted with an intention to understand something from our text study that we had found meaningful. The rules of process painting are few, but challenging: no comments about any of the work, be open to change, what's next, am I complete with this? This was a way into art through Jewish study, and a way back out. My most major insight is one I feel in my guts and bones. (and it's painted on a sign at JSP): God is Process. Everything is going through a process and changing. Plants grow, boulders erode, the world turns, people celebrate, people die . . .
