Lisa Rauchwerger is that rare kind of person who’s allowed to run with sharp objects.
The San Jose artist gives ordinary paper new life as a textured and brilliant art form of sculpture by employing technically exquisite cuts.
Rauchwerger was introduced to the Jewish folk art of paper cutting at a four-week program at the Brandeis Collegiate Institute in Simi Valley. There, she met master paper cutter Jerry Novorr and immediately found her creative niche.
“It felt like, ‘this is my medium,'” said Rauchwerger, who will be displaying and selling her art at the To Life! Street Festival. “I was hooked, and after that summer I continued with paper- cutting study. I have been doing paper cuts to sell ever since.
“My artwork is a commentary on certain things. Instead of a written midrash, it is visually commenting on an idea, or rather ‘visual midrash,'” she said.
For example, Rauchwerger described her paper cut, “T’filat Haderech — A Traveler’s Prayer,” as “a visual prayer, a hope that all travelers are blessed with a good and safe journey.” The elements of the design tell the story: “The traveler is protected under the sheltering wings of the Shechinah, the feminine presence of God, symbolized by the dove.” The entire piece is cradled within a hamsa, a symbol of good fortune.
“The festival is great because if you don’t have a gallery, you can still get your artwork out in the community,” she said. “I have a cookbook (‘Chocolate Chip Challah and Other Twists on the Jewish Holiday Table, An Interactive Family Cookbook’) that I write, and cards with watercolor and calligraphy that I hope will appeal as gift-type things.”
Fellow artist Meryl Urdang of Palo Alto felt that showcasing her work at the festival would be an effective way to gain a place in the Judaic arts community.
“I had been an attendee, and a resident in the Palo Alto community, and then as I became a Judaic artist, the To Life! festival was just a logical place for me to be,” she said. “It is the first art festival that I did, and just meeting other Jewish artists was a great way to share my work and get feedback from other people.
She said her involvement in Congregation Beth Am and the Jewish community in Palo Alto “has been a part of my life for a while, and to be developing and using my Jewish learning around my Judaica is truly inspiring.”
Five years ago, with no former art training, Urdang designed the tallit for her daughter’s bat mitzvah. Inspired by her success with that silk painting, she chose to explore her talents beyond tallitot fashion, finding other ways to incorporate her love of silk into a variety of art forms.
“I use a technique called reverse decoupage, where you traditionally adhere cutouts of paper and then paint under glass, but I choose to adhere my silk,” she said.
Urdang also constructs beautiful glassware — plates, bowls and paperweights — much of it incorporating a crackle painting technique. One of her most popular pieces is her “Tikkun Olam” paperweight, which has the phrase “Venatnu – and they shall give” as the main focus of the glasswork. Also popular is her line of Kabbalah T-shirts for newborns, featuring a 1,000-year-old design and prayer said to have protective powers.
While the paperweight stands out as a focal point of her collection at the festival each year, her entire body of work is well-received , she said.
In all, more than 100 artist, craftspeople, photographers and other creative exhibitors will be represented at the street fair.