Sometimes We Meet by Rochelle Shicoff

“Sometimes We Meet” by Rochelle Shicoff

____________________

Share your response to this work, in any form, here

Rochelle Shicoff Artist Statement:

I have been creating visual art, looking at it, thinking about it, talking about it since receiving an easel at 6 years of age. It is the passionate thread that runs through my life. My observations have resulted in paintings, printmaking, collages and murals. My themes express fantasy human figures, animals, architecture and landscapes. My public art commissions have combined many of my enthusiasms: large scale art, teaching, community interaction, research and history. I always work in a series format using acrylic paint. These two factors have been consistent in telling the viewer my ideas through out my years.

Day and Dark: Unthinkable Choices/Gaza-2025 is a painting series (22 paintings) that reflect my feelings and thoughts about the crisis in Gaza. It was emotionally difficult to produce these paintings because the conflict is so complicated, both politically and personally. Though I am Jewish with family members who died in the Holocaust, my compassion and empathy for the Palestinian people is shown throughout this series. My interest in the Middle East goes back to my visit to Egypt in 1980 when I was living at the American Academy in Rome having received that year’s fellowship in Painting. My initial curiosity became a more sustained engagement when I lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, among neighbors from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, and Yemen. I became involved with the Arab American Association of New York and interviewed women members about their country of origin and experiences living in the U.S. In responding, the women often told me they were gratified for the opportunity to tell their stories. As I worked on the paintings for over a year, I did not focus on the suffering of Israelis as a result of this war but did include 1 painting titled The Hostages—from Morning till Night. Hand stitching with embroidery thread in all the paintings, provides a visual container for various groupings. This series pays homage to the people of Gaza.