Elisheva (Ellen) Horowitz – Painter, Cartoonist, Illustrator – Maale Adumim, Israel

Elisheva (Ellen) Horowitz was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio.  She expressed an early interest in figure drawing and painting, coupled with an innate love of Torah and Israel.  Encouraged by her parents, she took courses at the Cleveland Institute of Art and later went on to study painting and design at the Rochester Institute of Technology.  Elisheva’s paintings have been exhibited in Israel, New York, Boston, and San Francisco.  She made Aliyah in 1986.

Elisheva finds inspiration in biblical themes, modern Jewish history, and in the landscapes of Israel.  To be both an artist and mother living in Israel, in uncertain times, is often reflected in her work. Her worldview is one which combines a heightened visual awareness with maternal anxiety, and a healthy dose of optimism and humor.

Elisheva takes a bold approach to drawing and painting and is convinced that one can transcend politics and heal divisions through art. She advocates inspiration without provocation, and is not afraid to broach difficult subject matter.

In addition to being an experienced painter, art teacher, cartoonist and illustrator. Elisheva is a skilled writer, activist and speaker. She has worked for and co-founded nonprofit organizations in Israel, such as the Crisis Center for Religious Women.  She has engaged in academic research and documentary production, authored an acclaimed book on the Oslo peace process, and has held administrative and creative web content positions.

As a speaker, Elisheva is dynamic and engaging as she explores “the agony and the ecstasy” of the creative process, and as she prompts the audience to view the concurrently fractured and cohesive personal, national and historic canvas of a Jewish woman living in Israel.

Elisheva lives and has a studio in Maale Adumim, near Jerusalem. She is a grateful and very proud mother and grandmother with a growing family all living in Israel.

“My painting is a quest for Jewish authenticity, so to speak. I strive to achieve this through synthesizing the great personalities and episodes of our past with the words from our Sources, and the landscapes and colors of Eretz Yisrael. This allows for a visually moving experience- an encounter with the Jewish soul. By taking a bold approach to color and expression, and daring to explore the heights and depths of Judaism’s essence, we can reawaken imagination and hope – a key to the survival of the Jewish spirit.”

Suggested topics for speaking engagements

• Maternal anxiety and hope as reflected through an Israeli mother’s canvas
• Bridging the gap: An exploration of Jewish artistic themes which speak to our common national and eternal soul
• Painting the Parasha: a Jewish approach to illustrating sublime subject matter
• Torah as visual inspiration
• The Jewish writer as artist: when there are no more words
• Art with borders: the unique limitations and obligations incumbent upon an artist living in Israel
• Learning to see again: Examining the contemporary Jewish canvas

Exhibitions, Studio Tours and Workshops

Elisheva’s work is available for exhibition.  Her original acrylic paintings and pastel drawings are transportable. Her paintings and signed limited edition fine art prints are available for sale.

Elisheva is also happy to accommodate groups, by appointment, in her home for studio tours, lectures and workshops.

Art by Elisheva 050 909 0598