The making of the L'Chaim painting

From ashes to art

On August 15, 2021 the workshop of Harrari Harps burnt to the ground.

Before

After

Micah and Shoshanna Harrari standing in the harp workshop that was destroyed in the fire

Micah and Shoshanna Harrari standing in the burned out harp workshop after the fire.

Micah Harrari of Harrari Harps has been hand crafting Biblical style harps since 1984 in Jerusalem, Israel. They are thought to be the first Jewish harp makers back in Israel since Bible times. The wild fire that broke out on August 15, 2021 destroyed everything in their harp workshop, exotic woods they had been curing for years, tools, about 25 harps they were building for clients, everything. They barely had time to escape. When they returned the next day, the fire had stopped within 2 meters from their front door. There was a sign in the window that said..."Protected By Angels". The one and only harp that was saved, was Shoshanna's personal harp that was in the house. Since they lived near the forests north of Jerusalem, no insurance company would insure them. Along with many homes, the fire destroyed over 6000 acres of a special forest called Yair Kedoshim, ( Forest of the Holy Ones). This forest was planted in 1950 to honor the holocaust victims. I decided to do something to help...

L' Chaim
"To Life"

I asked Shoshanna if it would be okay to do a painting for them as a fundraiser and use the ashes from the workshop to mix into the paint. To my surprise, she loved the idea. She mailed the ashes to me from the burnt workshop and I began the painting on Sept. 25, 2021.

She gave me some ideas of what she wanted. I had never used ashes mixed with paint before, but, it was a lot like using charcoal. I had to grind up the ashes with a mortar and pestle and further refine it on a glass sheet and use a mull. I mixed it with acrylic medium, a little water, and acrylic paint. It actually worked quite well. The texture was like mixing fine sand into paint.

I included the national bird called a Hoopoe, the national flower called Cyclamen Persicum, doves, Persian Fallow Deer only living in Israel and Iran, tree branches in the shape of harps and lyres, a little porcupine on the lower right side sniffing the flowers, and the roots that form L' Chaim in Hebrew.

burnt sticks and ashes from the Harrari Harp workshop after the fire that destroyed the workshop

ashes from the Harrari Harp Workshop fire

Nancy Cupp's mortar and pestle used to grind the ashes from the Harrari Harp workshop fire

I included the national bird called a Hoopoe, the national flower called Cyclamen Persicum, doves, Persian Fallow Deer only living in Israel and Iran, tree branches in the shape of harps and lyres, a little porcupine on the lower right side sniffing the flowers, and the roots that form L' Chaim in Hebrew.