I began painting regularly at the age of 67, after retiring from the Ministry of Education as the principal of a school for hospitalized children. I have always loved children’s drawings and was fascinated by the directness and graphic solutions with which children express their daily lives. When I worked with sick children, one of the things that captivated me were the drawings in which children managed to express themselves creatively and draw hope through them. (A special chapter was dedicated to this observation in my book “The Black Colors Died and the Happy Colors Won”, 2002, published by Hakibbutz Hameuchad and the Israel Cancer Association, on the drawings of children with cancer. In the chapter “Creative Solutions”, p. 130).

This long-standing observation led me to choose a painting style with a naive orientation. Unfortunately, I cannot paint like children, but I try to be faithful to the authentic, plastic expression of my feelings and the scenes of my life. Naive painting depicts scenes from daily life simply and directly. There is no commitment to perspective, size relationships, or precision in detail, but there is a desire for color, repeated patterns, ornamentation, and details.

Many of my paintings reflect childhood memories, and others depict my present life and surroundings. Each painting tells a story, and its intricate details are evidence of its complexities and depth. In my paintings, I tend to idealize situations and events. I am drawn to beauty and unsophisticated description, sometimes including implicit humor, that touches on human behaviors and familiar and universal situations. Many paintings express my connection to the earth and nature, and almost always include one or more characters interacting with their surroundings.

At the beginning of my journey, I studied for about a year and a half with the artist Aviva Sonsino. Working with Aviva was my introduction into this world, affecting me and strengthening my desire to devote myself to this art.

My paintings typically consist of two canvases stacked on top of each other, with the lower canvas serving as a kind of extension and frame for the primary painting.

The intense passion that emerged when I chose to devote myself to naive painting fills me with joy and provides a refuge from the difficult reality prevailing in our country these years.

Written in February 2025