This simple illustration was painted for a picture book titled Green Bible Stories for Children (written by Tami Lehman-Wilzig, Kar Ben Publishing, 2011). The book features “an environmental theme that unites nine Jewish bible stories, enhanced with a variety of science and nature activities.”
This particular image illustrates a passage in the book about Tu B’Sh’vat, a holiday in Israel also known as "the New Year for the Trees.” Tu B’Sh’vat typically takes place during January on our calendar. In Israel, it’s a time of traditional tree-planting. According to the author, the holiday was created by the early rabbis in order to keep track of the age of fruit trees. [The rabbinic period dates back only about 2000 years; in the scope of Jewish history this is a relatively young holiday.]
I like this image for its universal simplicity. The skin tones of the three hands represent the ethnic diversity of the Holy Land – and of present-day America, where most of the readers of this children’s book live. Here in the Northeast, the time for planting trees is spring or fall, depending on the type of tree. Regardless, the illustration tells us it’s a collaborative effort which includes the building of healthy soil – symbolized by the hand under the roots of the little sapling. And it involves all kinds of people.
Planting and transplanting is an act of hope – at least that’s how I feel when I’m carefully moving basil or kale seedlings into my garden. They’re so delicate, yet so full of vigor. As I step back to regard the little plants in their new home, I feel a sense of satisfaction. Yet all I’ve provided is a tiny nudge of a beginning, as the trembling leaves on their slender stems will be shaped the elements of nature, not my will. Of course my efforts at watering and mulching and fertilizing will help, but I can never control or predict which plants will thrive and which will wilt and die. There’s so much going beneath the surface that’s beyond my knowing.
Somehow, the creative process follows a similar trajectory. As in nature, so in art.
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!