Hebrew Calligraphy, Watercolor and The Ketubah

The Ketubah pictured was commissioned by a bride and groom from Los Angeles. The wedding took place in June in Bel Air; just the picture of springtime. Creating a forest of flora and fauna, I sought to capture the beauty of blooming California flowers.

The Ketubah is a Jewish marriage contract dating back 2000 years. Although traditionally written in Aramaic, in Hebrew the word literally means "it is written."

The Ketubah is one of the first legal documents securing financial and legal rights to women.

The calligraphy is executed by my own hand. The font chosen is modern and informal. Hebrew calligraphy is done with the same calligraphy pen as one uses with English. As a left-hander, Hebrew calligraphy suits me well as it is from right to left. When executing English calligraphy, I must constantly take care not smear my work with the side of my hand. When writing Hebrew calligraphy I do not have this problem so my work is actually faster, more fluent.

The illustration, design, calligraphy and watercolor of a Ketubah is quite a large job. Poster size (16" x 20"), each inch is detailed, every centimeter given care. Meant to hang on the wall for life and be kept for generations to come, the Ketubah is a work of art meant to capture a specific time, place and the love of two very unique people.

Watercolor, Art Deco & the Travel Poster

It has been ages since I have executed a watercolor painting. Nowadays, I almost exclusively use gouache as it produces an even matte tone suitable for screenprinting.

However, if a commissioned piece is to be color-copied from a high-quality scan, watercolor makes a wonderful showing.

The poster pictured draws its origins from a decidedly Art Deco aesthetic. I designed the alphabet used for the font myself based on various Art Deco alphabets. Inspiration from 1920s French travel posters provided beach scenes and coastal play portraying leisure summer afternoons perfectly coinciding with the notion of a summer camp located directly on the beautiful Pacific Ocean.

Ketubah

I began my professional career as a Hebrew calligrapher. Asked by close friends to design and calligraph their Tanayim (an engagement contract between the betrothed as proscribed by Jewish Law) I taught myself the basics of watercolor and botanical illustration setting to work on my first ever commission. The Hebrew calligraphy came naturally; I had been practicing for years with a calligraphy set my great aunt Octavine gifted to me on my eleventh birthday. Calligraphy was easy and fun, albeit rather un-hip and definitely "old lady;" but illustration was more difficult and my perfectionist tendencies made for quite an exercise in tedium.

Following the wedding, word of mouth spread and over the years I have calligraphed and designed numerous Ketubot (Jewish marriage contracts). Adorning a Ketubah has recently made a resurgence among couples wishing maintain tradition and create a beautiful and meaningful objet d'art.

The illustration of a Ketubah tends to take me away from my French Art Deco leanings. Using watercolor, I seek to create a fanciful world for the bride and groom. Botanical illustration, biblical flora and fauna, and calligraphic adornment and various other classic motifs lend themselves best.

The Hebrew calligraphy is the final addition to the Ketubah. This is the most stressful aspect. It is very difficult to erase or cover up any mistake; and because it is on the final piece of art, the whole thing could be lost in one fell swoop. I have tried executing the calligraphy first but this is difficult as the Hebrew calligraphy has to fit organically into the image rather than the reverse.

Over the years I have had the honor to illustrate and or calligraph many Ketubot. Designing and producing a Ketubah is a labor of love indeed but brings immense satisfaction and pride.