Announcing The Jewish Eye 5783/2023 Calendar of Art
Dear Readers,
I'm pleased to announce The Jewish Eye 5783/2023 Calendar of Art, now available in my web store, on Amazon, or if you're local, directly from me. This is my eighth year producing this wall calendar, and as always, the images are inspired by Jewish holidays, history, culture, Torah, Israel, and life in the Diaspora. The Jewish New Year begins on September 25th this year, and the calendar covers the Hebrew year 5783, from September 2022 through September 2023, and the secular year during those months, with major holidays, new moon (Rosh Chodesh), and full moon. The Hebrew months, weekly Torah portion, and Jewish holidays are written in Hebrew and English. The calendar measures 8.5"x11" closed, 11"x17" open. You can view the entire calendar here (please note: if you have a large computer screen it may pop up oversize; please zoom out to the actual size for best viewing).
You definitely do not have to be Jewish to enjoy this calendar! You only need to appreciate art, history, and writing. Each year I sell many calendars before Rosh Hashanah, Chanukah, and Christmas. I hope you will consider giving the gift of art to someone you love by purchasing my calendar. As always, the calendar is entirely self-published, as I have conceived, illustrated, written, designed, and shepherded the calendar through the printing process myself. This year I have a new printer, and I think both the printing and the paper are better than ever.
This year's selection features two more paintings inspired by my recent studies of Renaissance art – including the cover image, which imagines a Jewish woman living in the Renaissance as an active artist, if such a thing had been possible. Another painting, Vitruvian Star, takes a visual "quote" of Leonardo's famous drawing by almost the same name and adds a Jewish twist, adding the element of sacred time to the Christian concept of sacred architecture. Artists of the Renaissance often "quoted" earlier works of Classical Greek and Roman art and reimagined them in their own style, bringing history forward and reshaping future perceptions. May my paintings inspire people to think about the Renaissance in new ways.
Another pair of landscape paintings brings the viewer to the area of Tzfat (Safed) in northern Israel, the ancient city where Kabbalah, or Jewish mysticism, rose from the ashes of the Inquisition. These pastoral scenes stand in sharp contrast to the harsh realities that engendered them. My desire here is to hold out hope in the cycles of time that bring humanity into peaceful coexistence with the land after times of upheaval – a hope that many of us yearn for in these times.
The remaining nine paintings cover a variety of subjects, from the floating of baby Moses on the Nile River to the story of Isaiah & the Seraph; from the concept of One God as expressed by Abraham to the song of Serach, granddaughter of Jacob, who sings the good news to the old man that his beloved son Joseph is alive in Egypt. These timeless tales continue to inspire me, and I join a long line of artists in creating images that bring them to life.
I'll be writing about the individual paintings over the coming months and sharing the stories behind them.
The price for the calendar is $18 on Amazon, and $20 in my webstore. Both prices include shipping within the continental U.S. With great reluctance I had to raise the price this year in my webstore, due to the rising cost of postage.
My budget for promotion is also limited. Would you like to help give The Jewish Eye a boost by writing a review on Amazon? That entails ordering a calendar, and then after it arrives writing a review as a "verified buyer." Once your review is up, please let me know by emailing me (dyaelbernhard@protonmail.com), and I will send a second calendar for free to you or the recipient of your choice. You can also help by forwarding this email to your friends and family, or anyone you know who might be interested in this unique collection of art and writing. Thank you in advance for your efforts! And thanks to my three wonderful proofers this year – you are most appreciated.
I hope you will enjoy The Jewish Eye 5783/2023 Calendar of Art. Thank you for your continuing support of my creative work!
kind regards to all,
D Yael Bernhard