Ceramic artist Henriette Cons Ponte made her first candle holder for her mother’s Sabbath evening ceremony. The objects crafted by metalsmith Patrick Meyer reflect his interest in Jewish history. Susie Lubell, a watercolorist, blends color and design with traditional Jewish symbols and verses that commemorate what Lubell calls “life’s big blessings.”
All three artists will take part in the Judaica and Fine Art Marketplace at the To Life! festival.
“We will have 55 artists, mostly from California and some from Israel,” says Luba Palant, coordinator for the artists and food vendors for the event. “We are focusing this year on new artists, and we will have more Judaica objects.”
The juried show will include jewelry, ceramics, paintings, handcrafted clothing, glass and sculpture. For a list of artists and photos of their work, visit www.paloaltojcc.org.
Patrick Meyer
Meyer — whose hobby is studying ancient history — crafts lead-free pewter tableware, matzah and challah plates, horseradish bowls, spoons, menorahs, mezuzahs, knives, pins and pendants.
The art of pewtersmithing goes back two millennia. “I have tried to combine my art form with my passion for history, and also with my Jewish heritage,” says Meyer, 46, who lives in San Francisco.
Meyer was born and reared in eastern France, not far from a large historic community of Ashkenazi Jews. He studied art and design at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. After graduation, Meyer worked in Paris as a jewelry designer in top fashion houses, including Guy Laroche, Charles Jordan, Hanae Mori and Paco Rabanne.
In 1990, he began making decorative and functional home accessories, all inspired by nature, primitive art and modern art. Today, Meyer’s pewter pieces are sold in galleries, Judaica shops and synagogue shops all over the country.
For information, visit www.patrickmeyerstudio.com.
Henriette Cons Ponte
Ponte will bring candle holders to the festival, along with other Judaica objects. “When my mother asked me to make a candle holder for her, I made a candle holder that represented all my love for her,” says Ponte, 42. When Ponte’s friends and family saw it, they immediately placed orders for candle holders.
The artist, who lives in Palo Alto with her husband and three children, also makes pomegranates, boxes, bowls, rattles and Raku-fired sculptures. She is currently working on a new line of menorahs.
An anthropologist, Ponte was born in Romania, brought up in Israel and has lived in various parts of the world. In addition to her multicultural perspective and her heritage, Ponte has a third source of inspiration for her work: nature. She says, “I try to make objects that get you to a more spiritual level.”
For information, visit www.henriettestudio.com.
Susie Lubell
Before she opened her business in January 2009, Lubell had made ketubahs for her brothers’ weddings — and her own. Today she makes ketubahs for weddings and anniversary celebrations, as well as personalized watercolor prints for new babies and children.
A self-taught artist, Lubell, 37, pairs vivid colors with folk imagery and illustration. “I have always loved color,” Lubell says. “I traveled a lot after college — Chile, Peru, Israel, Turkey, Spain, Nepal, India — and I absorbed all of those wonderfully vibrant costumes and spices and foods and landscapes.”
At the festival, Lubell will have on hand Judaica prints, greeting cards and samples of ketubahs and name prints. A native of Orange County, Lubell lives in Mountain View with her husband and two children.
For information, visit www.mishmishstudio.com.