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Artist Statement for "Gold and Sapphire" Ketubah Artist: Nishima Kaplan Original media: Torn paper on birch
Seventh in Nishima Kaplan’s "Song of Songs" series, "Gold and Sapphire" is inspired by the Lover’s description of her true love: "…His cheeks are as a bed of spices, as banks of sweet herbs; his lips are as lilies, dropping with flowing myrrh. His hands are as gold set with beryl; his body is as polished ivory overlaid with sapphires…" (chap. 5:13) This is more than just an image of physical beauty — it is a description of her Beloved’s soul, of the way her heart feels in his presence, of the sensation on her skin when he touches her, of the private moments that they share, of the part of him that he reveals only to her… This torn paper collage is constructed from hand-made Japanese paper that is torn, applied and layered onto board over the course of several days. 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 and no instruments other than the artist's hand are used to tear the paper. Sudden inspirations, "accidents" and the natural beauty of the paper 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 torn paper ketubah also describe the people who love it. |
