Result of further experimentation with steeple “sketch” and appliqué

     Maariv Aravim is a prayer said in the evening service between the call to prayer (Bar’chu) and the central prayer of the service (the Sh’ma). The prayer speaks about the coming of evening saying “rolling light before darkness and darkness before light... blessed are you, Adonai, who brings on the evenings.” 

    I could not count the number of times I have left classes to see the setting sun glinting beyond the familiar spire of the First Baptist Church in Beverly- where I had my convocation four years ago. That time of the oncoming evening now more than ever is something I am aware of as we just begin to roll into spring and the days grow longer and longer. This is something I wanted to capture with my process of embroidery and appliqué on a ground of blue wool, With additional layers in cashmere and wool, and embroidered in rayon and silk thread.

A Note: I do not find the use of the spire of a Baptist Church in combination with an excerpt from Jewish liturgy awkward because the image is more of a love note to Beverly where both this church and my synagogue are located. It is more of an expression of personal experience and memory rather than one motivated by religious devotion.