News / glass

What is a MEZUZAH??   Mezuzah: (Lit. “doorpost”): A small parchment scroll upon which the Hebrew words of the Shema are handwritten by a scribe. Mezuzah scrolls are rolled up and affixed to the doorposts of Jewish homes, designating the home as Jewish and reminding those who live there of their connection to G‑d and their heritage. ALSO - An amazing work of art if you buy one of these beauties! Stay tuned, so many more gorgeous creations on the way.

Shalom friends!

Summer is heating up here at Sheva Chaya's gallery :)

Wishing all of you a great Shabbat / weekend from us here in Tsfat,

Stay tuned for more fresh paintings and glass-art!

Love,

Sheva Chaya

What do I hope people get out of the 2016 Tzfat Glass Art Symposium?

Eyes and hearts refreshed with witnessing and participating in creativity.

Respect and recognition of Jewish artistic expression at its highest.

Building of community, of artists and art appreciators alike.

Spawning of new ideas for creative expression and collaboration.

Fun!

To witness a level of hakel, of community coming together specifically this year.  Seeing worlds meet, interact, collide, move forward...

A breath of fresh air and relaxation in the mystical artistic village of Tzfat.

That where there is a will...there is a way...

Have you heard of hashgacha and siata d'shmaya?

I had a dream to have the Maestro Gianni Toso to come to Tzfat and share his mastery of the art with art lovers, glassblowers, and anyone interested (or lucky enough) to see the highest level of the art in action.  I feel like I'm dreaming to see the dream come to fruition.  When I first met the maestro, even though I only saw him work for a few minutes of one day, my understanding and love of the material evolved beyond measure.  The maestro told me he would never come to Israel, that he had originally wanted to settle in Israel but was traumatized by trying.

Somehow, that didn't phase me.  I told myself, the next time I get a chance to visit the maestro, I better take it.  So I did.  Last year, when the opportunity arose to travel to the states, I made sure I would stay by Maestro Gianni.  I really wanted to have shabbas with him and his family, beyond seeing his mastery of the art.  I stayed for shabbas, we discussed a plethora of ideas and shared stories over the few days duration I was there.  The experience of being in the maestro's studio and seeing his perseverance as an artist, his ongoing thirst for "beyond" expression is really beyond description.  And I learned above all that the mastery of an art is never over, that there are always new frontiers to explore and conquer.

The other focus of that trip was to visit "Mount Krushmore", an enclave of super-talented glassblowers in Philly.  What I saw there rocked my world.  To see many high-level glassblowers working in a studio, together and independently, with top-notch facilities, was not only inspiring, it was life-changing.  The glass community can be very family-like, and my little taste of the Philly crew, including Marble Slinger, Coyle Condenser, and Germ, warmed my heart and convinced me that building community around glass needs to be a major focus.  I encouraged Germ to come inspire the glass scene in Israel as well.

Then came the idea for a glass festival.  

Somehow, with siata d'shmaya and hashgacha, both Maestro Gianni Toso and Germ agreed to be a part of this event.  Imagine, the grandfather of glass in our generation, Gianni Toso, and one of the leading artists in the new world of boro glass, Germ, sharing their work (in action!) in my studio is Tzfat. Beyond.  Those who are keen on witnessing and being a part of this historic event will surely be inspired to say the least.  

The idea of some of the greatest glass artists of our time coming together in my studio in Tzfat is a dream that is manifesting.  Thanks to hashgasha (divine providence) and siata d'shmaya (help from above)... we are blessed with a once in a lifetime experience coming our way.  If you want to hear the inner story and more, come join us at the festival! It's a certain type of stars in alignment you don't want to miss!! 

Glass-Fest in Tzfat.  February 3-4.  Sheva Chaya's Gallery/Tzfat Glass.  Don't miss it.   

To sign up and for more info click here

from Maestro Gianni Toso's sculptural glassblower series 

36 hidden lights

We light 36 lights, there are always 36 hidden tzaddikim who hold up the world.  The new light of this year surpasses anything we have ever known before.  I "re"-fell in love with owls and therefore we have a new Hanukiah theme:

Why owls? Besides the fact that they are beautiful and spectacular examples of creation, the owl represents wisdom.  The light of Hanukah, reflecting a wisdom so deep it flows through on the level of simplicity, of light.  When I made this sculpture I saw the little owl was "sitting" in front of the lights of hanuka (therefore the name "yishuv haDaat").  We should be blessed with the sweetest light of hanukah filling our hearts and our homes, our loved ones and our world (all the worlds!).  

This and other one-of-a-kind hanukah menorahs available from Sheva Chaya, Tzfat Glass.