‘I define myself as an experimental “Fusion” artist who is ever evolving: 

I build on the fundamentals  of  figurative and  portrait  techniques and abstraction,  honouring old masters  and new–– in particular,  those of Modernism and Expressionism. Fusing all that I have absorbed,  I  use traditional materials to create work that aspires to be cutting edge but at  the same time  accessible to the viewer.

My work is inspired and influenced by  Kabbalah, by Biblical motifs, by the world of ideas, by the unifying spirituality in all things. In my paintings I often weave Hebrew calligraphy,   ancient Canaanite symbols, universalistic ideas,  or my own poems . I like to maintain a rough edge and avoid agit-prop messages or prettiness.  For me, each painting is a total and different experiment in artistic truth, and takes me where it should go, so that I have learned what I need to proceed to the next  step forward.

In essence,  whatever shape  the drawing or expressive piece takes, whether it starts with a specific theme or begins in  pure nothingness , it becomes a prolonged meditation––  drawing on the power of the inspiring source,   or the wonderful  painterly process of painting itself.’  

CURRENT WORK-IN-PROGRESS ––

~  A feminist series of paintings exploring the biblical “Dinah and  “Jacob’s Missing Daughters”–– the whole question of the  vapid, or worse, the  missing history of women in the biblical narrative. 

 

~  A series inspired by Kabbalah.

 

~A series exploring  Canaanite symbols , early Hebraic writing and the earliest attempts to inscribe on stone or rock or papyrus some groping definitions about  this existential situation we call life.

PAST, AND ONGOING  PROJECTS––

~ Alla Prima  abstract expressionist portraits 


                       

PAST TENSE:  I am  guided  by this profound message from the past:

‘I am all that has been, and that is, and that shall remain, and no one unworthy has ever unraveled, loosened, or even touched the surface of my woven veil.’ – ANONYMOUS. From a carving on an ancient statue of Pallas Athena–– cited in Plutarch’s Lives.

 Naive or not, for me, this ancient graffiti expresses what timeless Art should be about: It is my credo when I start each new painting, as I aim for total artistic integrity: Which for me, translates to  hands-on work that involves the artist’s  honest touch and commitment.

FUTURE TENSE:

Today is the day–– today is all that we have. The painting that is on my easel, is my chance to strike out and create something  something  entirely new.

 
ruthrifka1@gmail.com 
 

Some Background: 

 

My paintings have exhibited in the Upstream People’s Gallery’s “FACES” Exhibition,  at the Beechwood Museum in Cleveland,
the Pen & Brush Gallery in New York, Polk Community College in Florida (Duo
Show), Atelier Lukacs in Montreal (With whom I was affiliated) , and
various Juried exhibitions of The Canadian Society of Painters in Water
Colour.   My poetry has been showcased twice on CBC ANTHOLOGY and published
in:  Fiddlehead, Tamarack, Branching Out, Room of One’s Own, Descant, Contemporary Verse 2, Canadian Jewish Chronicle, and Contact. I have
had short stories published in Fiddlehead, Tamarack, Branching Out, Room
of One’s Own, Descant and Contact, as well as showcased alongside Morley Callaghan on CBC Anthology.