Ark Curtain

This “Ark Curtain”, concealing the torah scrolls held inside, is at once traditional & modern like the Congregation of the Shaarie Torah Synagogue. The requested motifs of the tree of life & star of David are arranged as an exuberant celebration of life. The branches of the tree appear as open hands both cradling & releasing us.

Beams of sunlight, darker at the bottom to ground the composition, lift our eyes & spirits upward. The intensely saturated, glowing colors lighten & finally disappear into the ethers. The thick theatre-weight, cotton velvet appears luminous because the pile provides an enormous surface to accept the dye. Light illuminates & radiates the color of the transparent, fiber reactive dyes. Metallic copper fabric paint accents on the “Ark Curtain” & “Pulpit Cloth” echo the letters on the wall behind.

This glorious focal point holds its own in an enormous space, brightening it without overwhelming.