ונהר יוצא מעדן, להשקות את-הגן; ומשם, ייפרד, והיה, לארבעה ראשים

A river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it divided and became four heads. Genesis 2:10

2015, Triptych, oil on canvas 240 x 115 cm.

I had the pleasure of creating this large commission for a young creative family.

The unusual stepped format was chosen to fit the architecture of their home; under a soaring slanted roof, in the dining alcove of an L shaped room.

It is always a challenge to create a composition works well as 3 individual panels and as a unified painting. My greater challenge was to find a way to utilize the stepped heights and abrupt angles.

Another creative challenge – and opportunity, was working with collectors, who are themselves artists in other media. Their input was wonderful!

Even if it sometimes required me to “kill my darlings”.

They introduced me to that accurate term used in cinema editing. It means sometimes cutting out a perfect, beloved scene, if it does not effectively move the plot along.

And so I cut. And I cried. And then usually came up with a far better idea.
Some artists refuse to do commissions. They are reluctant to relinquish any artistic autonomy. I sometimes resist any “interference” as well.

But…
If collectors have good enough taste to chose my art from all of the good stuff out there, then they have good judgement. (If I may say so myself)

To be honest, no artist can make consistently best work. People can see the difference. The good works sell. Works that I am not so sure about, even if they are “pretty”, never sell. My collectors, even those with no theoretical knowledge, can sense the difference.
Some artists refuse to do commissions. They are reluctant to relinquish any artistic autonomy. I sometimes resist any “interference” as well.

But…
If collectors have good enough taste to chose my art from all of the good stuff out there, then they have good judgement. (If I may say so myself)

To be honest, no artist can make consistently best work. People can see the difference. The good works sell. Works that I am not so sure about, even if they are “pretty”, never sell. My collectors, even those with no theoretical knowledge, can sense the difference.

Bottom line:

Four heads joined together to create a new river: Their two heads; my third, and the painting’s fourth, independent mind of its own. All worked to create a happy painting. And the initial requests were mere that it be

“Funky, and with lots of red.”

And cypress trees. The collectors also like cypresses.