boum! quand notre cœur fait boum

Today is our first snowfall. We're off in a few days for some holiday traveling. As Charles Trénet would say, it makes my heart go "Boum!". Hopefully I'll be able to check in once in a while with all you lovely people.

the fish insisted he was greek

The exhibition was a success, thank you for all your well-wishes!

This new painting depicts three different schools of fish going back & forth. The coral has gold speckled detailing on it that reflects beautifully in the light. The water is an ultramarine that fades into a cobalt blue towards the bottom.

My lovely sis-in-law made this beautiful post for me today, made my day, she sure knows how I feel about Vespas! Krysta of Krystuccia has tagged me to create a post on "6 unimportant things that make me happy". You asked for it!

1. This might come as a surprise but... Limonana: lemonade with fresh mint which I grew up drinking frequently in Israel.
2. Colours (at the moment: reds, azures, oranges).
3. Making gelato (what flavor? Lemon! How could you ask such things?).
4. Jacques Tati & Jean Luc Goddard films.
5. Planning imaginary and possibly real travels for the summer.
6. My husband's notebook doodles of his professors at school.

Now I tag my two darling sisters Amy & Layli!

the postman

A painting I had done about Jacques Tati's incredible postman in "Jour De Fête".
Wish me "bonne chance", my exhibition is this weekend!

the garland makers

I have the "wishing I was with my siblings" blues, as they are all in India together right now...& as part of my blues I'm sharing with you a piece I just completed about India, which happens to be one of the first evening scenes I've done for a few years now. There is something profoundly beautiful about the hues of blue & purple that appear in the sky between sunset and night, & I thought they would go well with the vivid coral of the ground.

Now if you don't mind, I'm going to go sip some Masala Chai & dream about warmer days...

tea for three

Today is the perfect day to paint: sunny with just the right amount of perfect crisp Autumn air. It's especially lovely as my sister & brother-in-law just had a little baby last night by the name of Elsa Barbara Moore. Thank you all for your loving, thoughtful messages that were truly heart-warming about my last post. I will be sharing some more paintings very soon, in the meantime a photo of my last painting "The Menagerie" in the background of a small Autumn tea party.

remembering mama

A post to celebrate my mama's life, because she brought so much beauty to this world. Today is her birthday, & it has been 3 years since her sudden passing. Her name was Goli: an artist, a designer, the most creative & loving mama around, & certainly the best cook. She led an unusual & full life traveling most of the world,working alongside my papa on projects that touched the hearts of millions.I recently found these magazine covers, done by her in her early 20's for a Baha'i children's magazine called "Varqa". The magazine had stories from authors around the world & was translated to more than 10 languages & distributed internationally. She fled Iran while working on these magazines, as Baha'is are heavily persecuted in Iran, especially since the revolution was about to hit (my husband's grandfather was not so lucky: he was tortured & executed by the government for not recanting his Faith in the 80s). However, the life for her that followed was full of exciting adventure; she moved from London to India to Canada to Israel, & she drew her last breath as the sun set, surrounded by her three adoring children, three adoring daughters- & son-in-law, & one tiny grandson. Now she looks after us from a better place...Happy birthday mama!

just for you

The Menagerie

This painting is a true mix of East meets West, much like I am. The Eastern miniature style influences this piece significantly. The tree branch patterns are in gold & illuminate with light. The inspiration for this painting really comes from those marvelous creatures I've always been fascinated by & had a chance to live near around the world: gazelles, ibex, deer & of course birds.

I have been studying the deer that eat the flowers in my garden for a few years now. I never had deer around the Mediterranean where I previously lived, so it is always a pleasant surprise when one peruses our yard. While I was in the Negev desert this summer I was lucky to capture some photos of ibex on a cliff; they are truly elegant creatures!

design*sponge

Design*Sponge has featured our little trunk project on their site! You're going places little trunk...

a coral trunk

My husband & I came across an antique trunk, & I think it could be as old as the 30's or 40's. As a little weekend project we renovated it into a bright coral red, & because we both love patina, we kept the dark brown trim to keep its original character. The Limon lettering above actually spells out "limonana" but I couldn't fit them all onto the trunk! We had made the lettering out of cardboard. You can see the before & after here:

j'adore tiles

Autumn is in the air...I'm instinctively making more soups than gelato, wearing a jacket during the days & curling up in the evenings with hot teas. The leaves are ever so slightly tinged with reds, oranges & golds.

I'm brewing new work meanwhile & can't wait to show you. This picture is of some beautiful antique Persian tiles I spotted this summer. I find the combination of animals & birds on them incredibly inspiring...

The Rivers of Jaipur

They call Jaipur the "Pink City", but I always think of sapphire blues when bringing it to mind. My parents traveled a great deal through India with me as a child. I also have the most vivid memory of my mother spritzing herself with a bottle of "Jaipur" by Boucheron perfume in the mornings.

This is the first in the Illuminati series to have silver instead of gold in its ground. The silver caught the light this morning & looked quite radiant, the same way the gold does, which I was very please about...

cinema paradiso

This is a picture I took on my last trip to Italy. I wish that all cinemas
looked this charming. Do you remember the movie by Giuseppe Tornatore called "Cinema Paradiso"? No movie makes me so sentimental as that one does...

going places!

It may sound odd, but bicycles & horses riding together have been on my mind lately...do let's ride together!

choco & dahlias

Curious what I've been making for desert lately? Chocolate panna cotta with caramelized peaches. Dahlia season has arrived in its full glory, & there is plenty of room left for more painting inspiration...I'll be back soon with bicycles & horses for you...

bon bon anniversary!

3 years & oh what fun!

A Gondolier's Reverie

I adore Venice when the tourists are gone. I had a dream a year ago about Venetian Gondoliers riding paper waves upon 2-dimensional boats. I painted the dream shortly after this & titled it "Gondolier Marcello At Your Service!". While having two of our closest friends over from Hawaii & Vancouver I told them the idea & we all came together to make a Vaudeville style installation set for it. My husband & I have a history of making such sets & capturing it all with photographs, mostly just for our amusement, & to make memories with our loved ones. Three Gondoliers, one dame, paper guns & paper cigarettes, what could possibly go wrong?

The Cyclists

It is incredible how bicycles can have as much comical character as the people who ride them. It reminds me of that brilliant scene in Jacques Tati's 1970's film "Trafic", in which every driver sitting in traffic has the attributes of his/her automobile.

of russian spy cameras

As long as I can remember I have always wanted to live in a different era. Perhaps during the heyday of Federico Fellini's career, like a misplaced character from one of his films, leading a very 8 1/2 life. In that spirit, I have been experimenting of late with a Holga camera given to me & my husband by one incredibly talented photographer. Or as I like to call it, my Russian Spy Camera. I adore the timeless & antiquated quality of the photos...

darjeeling road

whizzing through nostalgic childhood recollections...

of fish & bowls

In a dark corner of the bazaar in Old Jaffa, I discovered a Persian Jewish man selling beautiful antiques from Isfahan. Beautifully eye-catching colour...(I bought the yellow one).
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p.s. A million thanks to Krystuccia for making me artist of the week at her brilliant blog!

speckled horse patina

What is it about badly drawn art on walls that just charms me half to death? It's like alchemy, perhaps I will never fully understand it. I discovered this whimsical horse, & bearded man (on the far left) today while exploring Old Akka.

sunny days

Constantly seeking inspiration in these beautiful summer days, & taking many holga photos of the vistas! Time for some gelato...

bon voyage!

Summer is here with a ciao! bang! I'm roaming the Mediterranean & enjoying it intensely. Here is a closeup of a recent painting I did, I hope you are enjoying yourself like they are! Hopefully on a golden tandem...

The Bird Voyeurs

Introducing a new piece in the bird series. I've always thought of birdwatchers as very peculiar characters. But maybe I've come to terms more recently with the fact that they are just ordinary people like you & I, who love to watch birds. Does this mean my bird is a peoplewatcher?

No Longer Lost at Sea

Yes it's true, I have been gone a long time...But thank goodness you are so understanding. I have several paintings underway & my pet canary has been trying to lay an egg for the past few days. Surely anyone in such a situation would temporarily halt all blogging.
In the meantime I hope you enjoy this older painting of mine.

the lotus merchant

I bring to you the third installment in the Illuminati series, after The Flower Sellers of Kashmir & The Daydreaming Maharaja. The lotus is a meaningful flower to me, as I was born while my papa was building a temple in India (open to all religions to pray in) that looks like a lotus. It is after all considered a profoundly spiritual flower in the East.

suspicion at the gelataria

Let me introduce you to my trusty Moleskine. He was given to me by my dear friend Keyvan Mahjoor who just happens to me one of the most talented artists I've ever known... It is in it's golden pages that I record everything from conspiracy theorists to cafe regulars.