I thought it was a pandemic fling

Painting at the Cagefra Medresse, Istanbul

It all started when I found myself in Istanbul during the pandemic with all my concerts canceled.

I went to the Islamic Art Museum and was delighted by the gorgeous illuminated korans with the pages decorated with intricate gold motifs.

I decided to learn how to paint link this.  I discovered a traditional Islamic arts school across from the Hagia Sofia where I found a teacher.  I would sit there for hours in this beautiful ancient school, painting in goldwith tiny brushes  and drinking chai with classical Ottoman music in the background - pure bliss!

After leaving Istanbul I enrolled in the Klassic Sanat Arts academy where I am currently in my third year under master illuminist Nazan Berbercioglu.   I study two types of art form with her - the religious illumination painting designed to decorate sacred manuscripts such as the Koran, and also Ottoman Miniature painting, which is like the facebook of ancient times, depicting characters and scenes from the past.  I’m still studying this with 6 hours a week on zoom.

I love all the aspects of this art form… designing the painting on transparent paper, staining the final paper with coffee, filling the gold, the flowers, outline everything with a thin line, and finally filling the background.

I love reproducing a piece of art by an artist from past Ottoman times, getting into their heads and giving their work a new life.

I love sharing these techniques with others, guiding them to create their own illuminated painting -it's so much fun to sit with others, each working on their own thing - something that is impossible with music.

I love creating something new by using these traditional motifs to create something original -  for example my self portraits, of me flying in the skyh,  my use of Ottoman techniques in creating Judaica art and my illuminated music manuscripts which combine my love of music and art. 

I wake up in the morning and immediately grab my brushes and start painting. I have a thousand ideas of things I want to paint, and when I walk outside I see everything as a potential painting - this wall, this flower, this cloud, this person..

I'm in bliss when I'm painting, completely immersed in what I'm doing, delighted by the lines and colors I'm creating....

I wish every person in the world could find something they love doing as much as I love painting.

So, it seems that this is not just a fling - I'm in it for the long-term!