In my dining room hang two of Lori’s magnificent paintings, commissioned to capture a certain point in the lives of my two children, when they shifted away from early childhood to being teens, with their feet planted on the path to adulthood. It was a period of “coming of age” for all of us — while they took on the world in a bigger way, my husband and I had to learn to parent in a very different way, respecting and celebrating their growing independence. It was a time to stop and take note, and mark the progress we had made, together as a family, and also as a part of the lineage of the Jewish people. When I saw Lori’s work, I envisioned the visual portrayal of this unique personal lifecycle moment for each of my children, and worked with her to create pieces that would offer a reminder of this pivotal time well into the future.
The first piece was for my daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. We timed the completion of the painting so it could also be used as the invitation, which gave each invited guest a keepsake of the event. Still, many years later, I see the invitation hanging in various homes of family and friends. The second piece commemorated my older son’s time living in Israel, and his deep love for the Zionist movement. Both have the power to move me deeply each time I stop to look at them.
I have had the pleasure of closely observing Lori in her artistic endeavors over the course of time, watching as she develops each of her works with great detail and thought. She is a treasure in the world of contemporary Judaic art, and also in the celebration of life, in all its stages.
