Sheva Chaya Shaiman - Glass Blower

Location: Tsfat, Israel

Portrait of a Glassblower

“One especially poignant series of Sheva’s , "How Zayde (Grandfather) Came to Eretz Yisrael" tells the story of one elderly man's aliyah (immigration) to Israel. In paintings titled "Dancing in Simcha (Happiness)", "Oy Vey", "Kiddush (Blessing over the Wine)", "Hard to Move", "Love Pull" and "Heartstrings" she is able to convey the ups and downs of life and the religious and spiritual highs balanced against the day to day struggles of one's decision to move to Israel."

Jewish teachings, knowledge of the Kabbala, and first-hand experience of her Hasidic community inform Sheva Chaya Shaiman’s glass blowing and water colors at her studio in Tsfat. Although she grew up in Colorado and attended Princeton University, majoring in visual art and art history, she made aliyah to Israel in 1997, choosing to live in Tsfat famous for its artistic community focused on Jewish traditions .

Hebrew letters and Kabbalistic symbols often appear in her work. She frequently uses such themes and subjects as the Land of Israel, Jewish women, the Torah and Kabbalah, great mystics, and inner light. In her Dreams and Visions Gallery, Sheva also creates paintings of Tzaddikim, Kiddush Cups, and Mezuzas. She often demonstrates her glass blowing technique while talking about how her art reflects her identity as an Orthodox Jewish woman with a love of Judaism, Kabbalah and Tsfat . She is a master at this.