Artist Statement for "Cosmic Fusion" Ketubah

Artist: Nishima Kaplan

Original media: Mixed media on paper

According to Jewish Tradition, forty days before you were born the Angels gathered together and chose your Beshert – your Soulmate – the one whom you are destined to marry. From that moment on, the Angels gently nudged you towards each other, bringing you closer and closer to the moment when a "chance" occurrence would place you in each other’s arms.

Have you ever felt that you were like two planets drawn together by some invisible, magnetic force? Did the Universe seem to stop the moment you first kissed? Did you ever look up together at the moon at night and know that it was made just for you? Does your love for each other feel as timeless as the stars?

The fourth in Nishima’s "Poetics" Series, Cosmic Fusion brings these feelings (and more) together in a stunning display of color and energy. In this mystical, symbolic vision of a Jewish wedding, two planets (representing the Bride and Groom), each surrounded by a ring of stars (representing your Family), draw towards each other in a moment of magical coming-together.

This mixed media "Poetics" collage is constructed from handmade paper that is torn, cut, applied and layered onto a large, colorful watercolor painting. The process is intensely meditative for the artist. She begins with only an idea in mind. No sketches of the artwork are done prior to beginning. Sudden inspirations, "accidents" and the natural beauty of the paper and the watercolor are allowed to "create" the artwork, using the artist as the vessel of expression. Spontaneous, creative, mystical: the words used to describe the process of creating this "Poetics" ketubah also describe the people who love it.