Israel 2016 - Shabbat

Almost shabbat. Can't shoot on shabbat, but one of our host couples made a Kabalat Shabbat for us before sundown so that we could have a kiddush. Shirah and Gadi Segal were a very interesting couple.

Israel 2016 - Arad Day 4

We had lots of free time on our fourth day in Arad. We were turned loose to do what artists do, art. And I photographed them doing it. I was deeply impressed with these two.

Anne could take any material and find some creative way to make art out of it.

Marilyn never stops. When she's not turning seemingly indiscriminate blobs of watercolor on paper into flowers or landscapes, she's a sketch machine.

Israel 2016 - Arad, day 3, part 2

The best part of the day for me was spending time with the school kids during their art class. Such beautiful young faces! They were fascinated with my camera. Wanted to use it to take pics of me with their friends. I'd love to go back and spend time teaching them about how to take great photos and how to use images to tell a story. But since this was the first time for an artist exchange, our trip was more exploratory and experimental. We didn't have much of a chance for any substance.

Israel 2016 - Arad, day 3

Our third day in Arad began with a demonstration of and lesson in flamenco dancing by a local practitioner. I 'dropped the ball' during this session. I took lots of photos of the demo, but was too involved participating in the lesson to take photos of my co-participants trying to execute the same moves. Only much later, after reviewing my work for the day did I realize that I missed a golden opportunity for unique material.

Following that, we visited an art class in a local elementary school. The experience was another of the highlights of my time in Arad. The kids spoke little or no English, and we spoke no Hebrew. But once we were turned loose to interact with the kids, everyone had a wonderful time. It was a goldmine of photo opportunities. This post is photos of us (the artists) working with the kids. The next post will be about the kids posing for me.

Our flamenco instructor explaining to us how to move gracefully:

Jared showing the boys how to execute an intricate brush stroke.

Gail explaining a philosophical concept about creativity:

 Marilyn, who was never without her sketch book, showing the kids what she did:

At one point the kids asked for Marilyn's sketch book and pen to make their own entries into her sketch journal: