For forty years I expressed myself artistically with sound. I was a classical musician in symphony orchestras in Russia, the country of my birth, and in Israel, where I live today.
When I retired from the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, I began to search for ways to express my ideas and feelings in a material form. It was during a period when I made cabinets and furniture that I developed a love of wood and the handling of fine woods. Then I took a course in woodturning with Eli Avisera and immediately appreciated the endless possibilities for self-expression.
I quickly graduated from the basics of woodturning to the integration of many colors, shapes, and tactile factors. I learned to a combination of woodturning, segmentation, inlays, and carving. I gather inspiration through my everyday surroundings.
Each day I feel as if I am seeing my environment for the very first time. For example, while studying a hibiscus flower, I was fascinated by the extreme contrast of colors. This led me to my current series of work that explores the contrasts of red-orange paduak and bleached woods.
What will capture my attention next? I cannot say. I can say that my passion to create unique objects of beauty through original designs keeps me inspired and in tune with nature and life.
I am a member of the American Association of Woodturners and IAW.