Founded with much gratitude for those who have been religious artists before me.

This is the year I'm projecting to "emerge".

Until now, I've been busy setting up systems, such as an Access database that stores the information about prints, their provenance, collectors, a mailing list, etc. There's been this web site to create, and although it will continue to expand, just putting it all in some cohesive format and writing the basic information, learning more about handling images… well, it's all been a whole lot of work! Plus, there was creating the initial prints! I've been learning how to work programs and trouble shoot, and oh, so much more. Last year the holidays of Light were together as Hanukah began Christmas night. About 10 days before that I began selling on Ebay, including opening a store, which is meeting with continuing success. It reached the point where I think it is a luxury to be able to paint!

Or go to a museum, which I did last Wednesday. I have never seen the Metropolitan so crowded or hot in my life. I felt like I should have worn my bathing suit and pretended I was in Miami !

It was the third to last day of the glorious exhibit of Vincent Van Gogh's drawings.

I saved the Van Gogh exhibit for last. Partly I was hoping the crowd would subside and partly because I knew I wasn't going to want to view much after it.

I attended an inspiring Gallery Talk by Emily Kies Folpe on the artists of the Hudson River School. Thomas Cole and Alfred Bierstadt are other favorite artists. Like Vincent, they were also spiritual. In fact in The Ox Box (at the Met) Cole paints a Hebrew name for the Lord right into a mountain. I learned a whole lot and saw more that I had seen before thanks to the gifted Ms. Folpe and highly recommend that if you go to the Met you schedule yourself to catch one of her talks. I know I will.

Before waiting on line for about 45 minutes just to get into the Van Gogh exhibit's galleries, I attended an exhibit of Fra Angelico's work, yet another favorite of mine. These are lyrical, reverent works, like Bach. The difference between the two masters is that with the goodly friar, it is as if I can hear and see from a distance a choir of heavenly hosts singing magnificently. With Vincent, I am in the middle of the whole choir and they are blasting Handel, loudly, energetically and gloriously.

My eyes are still full of the images. For me, Vincent always comes the closest to creating with the pure immediate energy of the Creator's words, which I symbolize with the Hebrew letters for every stroke. His pen strokes of dots and dashes and swirls inspired me as a girl and move me still. It is as if the breath of the Lord, the “ruach” breathed into Adam flows out of Van Gogh's hands breathing life onto paper.

That I see Van Gogh as a religious artist may seem surprising, since modern art historians seem to gloss over that aspect of his work. His father was a clergyman with a congregation. Van Gogh himself was a minister and an evangelist for awhile.

I am always inspired and challenged and reminded of how meaningful and life changing great art can be by Vincent's work. [I call him Vincent because that is how he wanted to be called and how he signed all his work. In homage to him, I sign my Hebrew name, Yehudi Rachel – the logo face- and prefer to be called Judy Rey] Apparently a whole lot of other people are similarly inspired because the exhibit was packed. I've seen emptier subway cars in Times Square at rush hour than those rooms set aside for the exhibit.

The drawings are an inspiration for me. Their influence is already showing up in my own work, as I came home and completed a small painting Shema Dalet – the daybreak to Shema Aleph's sunset. I can hardly wait to get to some work with the watercolor pencils. I am going to experiment with adding letters in with a calligraphy pen, too as Vincent achieved some dynamic effects mixing watercolor, gouache and pen. I am inspired and feel freer for it. Once again, Vincent Van Gogh has ministered to me as an artist and helped me be more of what I was meant to be.

Happy New Year.

May you be a blessing and be blessed,

Judy Rey

January 2, 2006