I have been involved with family history research for many years, but began to paint it when I found myself at an impasse, hopeful that it would bring new insights.  I had source material in the form of stories, photos and documents, but more than that, I wanted to really get a sense of who my ancestors were. 

Somehow painting someone always makes me feel that I understand them better, perhaps it is because I study them so intently.   When I succeed there is a magical moment when they step out of the canvas. In painting my family, I used names and words in the background. I particularly liked the graphic quality they added to the paintings. I also used metallic paint to both create the feel of a Russian icon and as a symbol of the veil that the present represents as it obscures the past.

Beyond the imagery there are some larger themes that emerge in family history, especially in Jewish history. Genealogy represents a knitting together of families that have been torn apart by the Holocaust, immigration and the natural dispersion of families over time. In many ways this is an important time to be doing family history. For but a short time, there are still survivors of the Holocaust that can tell us of a world that no longer exists. The Internet enables us to easily access resources such as Yad Vashem and communicate with distant relatives with ease. I’ve found my family history to be a fascinating journey and the visual representation of it has added considerably to my understanding of it.

Piercing the Veil 2007
Acrylic on Board  36"x24"