I must confess- I’m not an art critic or connoisseur but I know what I like. Please don’t give me cubist blocks or triangles that are supposed to represent a face- Like, I was never good at geometry. AND please don’t tell me that someone throwing buckets of paint off the boardwalk onto a canvass is not really someone trying to do what his mother never let-“Now, Jackson Pollack , you stop that immediately”. So I was totally gratified to find an artist, Aliza Guttman, whose site Layza Gallery http:// achi613.org/achi-market/vendors/layza-galleery filled me with tranquility. Her array of everyday subjects and her color combinations made me want to talk to her- And so I did!
Aliza is an artist in several media- she is a sculptress, and has also illustrated children’s books. The time spent creating her paintings are moments of relaxation and enjoyment- a chance to get away from the world of stress we find in everyday life. She deals in energy and movement. Aliza in ‘real life’ has worked in a bank, as a stock broker-for the past thirty years because, as she puts it plainly, “ there’s little money as an artist.” So her get-a-way is a room in her house in which she escapes into her imagination. I ask her specifically about her ballerinas, a motif seen an many of her canvasses. To me, they seem to be floating- their feet not touching the ground. Aha, I say to myself- this must be symbolic of free spirits or uplifting creativity- I mention my idea and Alyza says. “ no, no symbolism in feet not touching the ground.” She adds in Hebrew
“הכל בעיני המתבונן”- everything is in the eyes of the beholder. Another artistic trait – no faces on the people. She said she once tried to paint her daughter’s face and it was a disaster(shh).
Aliza and her husband who works in architectural lighting live in Tel Aviv. They have two daughters who are officers in the IDF and a son who is a student. Aliza, who is such a pleasure to speak with, invites you to browse her gallery on Etsy and now on www.achi613.org in our Market. My recommendation is checking out the Happy Feet multicolored boots- they seem to be dancing . IMNSHO they will make you want to dance in the rain. Layza(pronounced Liza) Gallery’s doors are open for business.
Lynda