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Bruce David (born November 15, 1951) is a Jewish American artist who creates biblical story-telling art, combining multi-dimensional symbolism and vivid, interwoven colors, to encourage diverse audiences to interactively discover the hidden within art and life. His primary forms of art (original, hand-pulled serigraphs and limited-edition lithographs) are spread around the world, while his commissioned pieces ( stained glass windows, glass mosaics, metal works, etc.) may be found in schools, organizations, religious congregations, individuals’ homes, and other venues in communities across the United States. Having been recognized for his work by numerous museums and school of fine arts directors, gallery owners, art professors and critics, as well as educators around the world [1], Bruce David's captivating style and passionate educational goals have led him to become one of the most successful Jewish artists of the 21st century, highlighted by McGraw-Hill Educational Publishers [2] and Hallmark Greeting Cards [3]


Early Life and Education

Background

Bruce David was born in Louisville, Kentucky, where he was raised with a traditional orthodox Jewish upbringing. There he attended and graduated from the Louisville Jewish Day School, Atherton High School, and the University of Louisville with a bachelor's degree in commerce. His parents are Dr. Artie David, z"l, and Esther David.

Having had no official art training, Bruce David, "who views the art as a gift, feels that the best way to use this gift is to share the good, important, and beautiful aspects of the Jewish heritage. While he is glad that his work has found value for its artistic merit, he personally views it very strongly as a contemporary educational tool, designed to promote Jewish understanding and awareness" [4]

Describing his artistic development, David states that, “The artistic career that I enjoy at present actually began in the mid 1970s. Having shown skills in the writing field during college, I later began creating books of my poems and prose, accompanied by simple illustrations. Three books were produced in the second half of the 1970's. Here is where my drawing abilities began to surface. The primitive black and white drawings in these three volumes were where I taught myself the concept of flow and dimension. They also taught me how to tell stories through drawings.” [5] Many of his works he describes as “icons that change while the viewer looks at the picture.” [5]

In 1982, he opened an art gallery on his property just outside the Hoosier National Forest, featuring other local artists' works. The area around Brown County, Indiana, is known for its natural beauty and for its many producers of art and craft objects. When there was idle time at the gallery, he started dabbling in colored painting. His wife and mainstay, Diane, presented him a birthday gift of a large pad of drawing paper and a set of colored pencils. At the same time, he was on a spiritual journey that brought him back to his roots in Judaism. [5]

He traces his accomplishments since then back to that time of spiritual renewal and colored art supplies. [5]

“The medium of drawing allowed me to explore an aspect of my spirituality that had been lacking in my traditional religious upbringing. In childhood, I had been ‘force fed’ religion without spirit, and like so many others of my generation, I searched elsewhere for what I needed,” he says. [5]

Discovery of an Artist

A distinguished lecturer in fine arts, Professor Mazelle Van Buskirk, discovered the art of Bruce David in 1982. Having taught art appreciation at the Indiana University School of Fine Arts for over a quarter century, Professor Van Buskirk was so impressed with this self-taught artist's talents that she compared David's artwork with that of Marc Chagall's at the plenary session of a major Hadassah conference outside Chicago. The distinguished lecturer in fine arts writes that, "it is rare to find works of art that are, or seem to be, without precedent. The art of Bruce David is such a rarity. ... "Once the viewer is guided through the magnificent array of colors and forms, they will find never-ending delight in the study of this most original artwork." [6]

Art Career

David, who started his official art career in the early 1980s, travels the country with his art and has been the main speaker and/or exhibitor at major international, national, and regional functions around the country. He has also been the feature writer for a national Jewish newspaper (National Jewish Post and Opinion) [7] His art has been chosen for the cover of several magazines, books, and greeting cards, and has also been featured in numerous newspaper articles around the United States. David's work has even won an educational award from the largest Jewish organization in the world (Hadassah) [8].

Recent Educational Efforts

While Bruce David is still working on commissions and new art designs, his recent efforts have been dedicated to realizing the intended educational nature of his designs.

Light of the Nations - Non-Profit

As of June 2010, Bruce David created and maintains the position of President for Light of the Nations – a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization – working to provide communities around the United States with contemporary educational programming, through art, music, and uniquely crafted interactive experiences, allowing participants to experience Judaism through the senses. The programs are designed to share the spirit, beauty, and importance of Judaism and its universally-oriented ideology, within an experiential manner, allowing participants to understand the modern-day relevance and application of Judaism’s universal values.

References

  1. ^ Josh David,"About the Artist", Published 10/15/2010, "[www.davidart.com/references.html]", Accessed 11/29/2010
  2. ^ Michael Molloy, "Experiencing the World's Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change - 4th and 5th Editions", Published 2008 and 2010,
  3. ^ Tree of Life Series: Hallmark Cards, Inc., "On the Shores of Freedom" and "Heart & Soul", Published 2007-2009, " [1]"
  4. ^ Josh David, "About the Artist", Published 10/15/2010, "[www.davidart.com/about-artist.html]", Accessed 11/29/2010
  5. ^ a b c d e "Ed Stattmann, "Artist's Work, Faith Inseperable", Published December 5, 2001, "National Jewish Post and Opinion"
  6. ^ Mazelle Van Buskirk, "Biblical Message of Marc Chagall and Bruce David", Presented May 1, 1984 at the plenary session of the Illinois/Indiana Regional Convention of Hadassah
  7. ^ Bruce David, "The invisible chains of slavery, a Passover freedom message", Published March 28, 2007, "National Jewish Post and Opinion".
  8. ^ Regional Educational Award, "Hadassah National Convention", May 1984

External links


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