The marriage contract reflects the couple. An Interfaith marriage contract with Celtic decorative influence. Interfaith Ketubah combining Irish, Hawaiian, Jewish with water theme
The Wedding Contract, in Jewish tradition known as a “Ketubah” originally was designed to protect the bride economically, in case the husband predeceased her, or left the marriage. The text was mostly about dowry, property, and who brought what into the union. No matter how dry the text was, it was always done as beautifully as possible.
The Ketubot (plural) I’ve done have mostly been about the love between two people, and often only one of them was of Jewish heritage. The text, usually written by a calligrapher, is about love, commitment, and hopes for the future. The art is designed by all three of us, with an emphasis on symbols that are deeply meaningful to them. For me, there is great joy in being part of their celebration, as the Ketubah is often a part of the ceremony.
Here are some past examples.
Their wedding art and vows
Way back in the 1990s, my then wife and I combined to create traditional Jewish marriage contracts, called “Ketubot”, which is plural for “Ketubah”. She did the calligraphy, and I did the overall design. Not only was there a great deal of leeway in the design, but working with couples who were about to get married was a real joy and an honor. Basically, what I was getting to do was distill all the best parts of their love and relationship into a beautiful piece of art that would be highly decorative, narrative in the sense that it “told their story”, and legal in the Judaic religion, as a binding contract of what they promised each other. I greatly enjoyed this process, gave each piece everything I had, and did some 170 of them (see images).
Around 10 years ago, requests for these Ketubot became fewer and farther between, and finally ceased. I missed creating them, and most of all missed that “rarified air” of love and anticipation that each couple had, and that I used as “fuel” to help create these intricate pieces that are not unlike the Iiluminated pages from bibles of the 17th century.
Around 3 months ago, I finally got a new Ketubah commission, though, and I am very pleased to be working on it with the couple who will be wed in mid-June. We designed it together, and it is a terrific design, held together by a large orchid that covers some 75% of the surface of the art. The color scheme will reflect a sun-rise to night-fall feel, like the idea of love being an around the clock deal.
There is Jewish symbolism in the art, but at the top of the art , the largest symbols are on the whimsical, and definitely secular side: a bunny and goose dancing. They are both dressed up in evening attire. When this art is done, I will photograph it and post it; as it is the dancing bunny and the goose will serve a dual purpose, as the image on the wedding invitation.
Who will do the calligraphy? We still don’t know, but the eventual calligrapher will have to have nerves of steel, as he or she will be working directly over some fairly involved watercolor illustration I did, although it is of a weak color value, designed to sink into the background once said calligraphy is written, probably in black. And, if the calligrapher makes an error, I’ll figure out a way to fix it artistically.
Turns out I did the calligraphy, and there were no errors!
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- Their wedding art and vows
Birthday gift pseudo Silver Surfer cover
The two friends have known each other for 50 years, and a special gift was in order. Since the recipient was a big surfer, comic book fan, and writer of great quotes, I was commissioned to incorporate all that into this large (28″ tall) comic book cover. Needless to say, he was thrilled!
Hearts are available for Valentine’s Day, with special inscriptions!
There are several completed hand-painted hearts available now, or you can custom-order one for your loved one!
Watch my YouTube video of how these lovely hearts are created!
The illuminated manuscript is an art form that saw it’s peak around 1650 ( a very good year, incidentally), so why am I working on a piece of art that is, in essence, an example of this art form, and one I’m so happy to be working on? The basic answer is this: I think the combination of words and images is so viable, as to be timeless.
In this case, the words, which have been writeen by a fine calligrapher named Jane Brenner, are those of a wonderful poem by Jerry Patchen, a lawyer who lives in the Houston area. His words for “The Finish Line” were easy to find images for, and so the art is done with a light watercolor of a long distance runner in the center, over which the calligraphy was done, and surrounded by a border that is both decorative and narrative, sequential in the gradual day-to-night colors, the illustrations of Sisyphus, and Hercules and the Hydra, as is the repeated motif of a silhouetted runner.
A more effective presentation of Jerry’s poem , I couldn’t imagine, and so he shall enter this as both a poem and an art piece at an exhibit in Houston. While some may see this as an outmoded art form, I see it as a great way to frame a poem, paragraph, or wedding contract, and greatly enjoy the narrative/decorative border art that showcases the words.
The Night Is Still Young