Summertime Vibe

“The practice is not the means to the output, the practice IS the output. The practice is all we can control. The Practice is a choice. With discipline it's something we can always choose”.

- Seth Godin, The practice. Shipping creative work.

This Seth’s quote says it all, Im walking in the steps of giants here. I was a big fan of taking huge breaks before, I felt like I was working even when I wasn’t. but I learned to be committed to the daily practice. Its a whole different experience, there is no good or bad, right or wrong. Some days don’t make any sense, and other days I just cant stop.

On a personal level I wanted to update that Im feeling great, Thank you for all your support and tips. I increased my water intake and took the supplements you recommended and it really worked!

On the technical side I wanted to share: I learned that when I ship work to you it sometimes get held at custom, So it’s worth checking in with them if you feel too much time has past since I sent your order.

Have a great summer !

The Daily Practice

“The magic of the creative process is that there is no magic. Start where you are. Don't stop.”
- Seth Godin, The Practice

Over the years I fall off my daily practice horse over and over again.

Just like yoga, dishes or checking my balance, my main achievement is not staying on that horse but getting back on it. As long as i meet myself in front of a piece of white rectangular i feel i serve my purpose, Abstract or flowers.

When i started this series i committed to myself to all kind of parameters that seems irrelevant now. I needed it to get started. it served a purpose. This funky road will probably humiliate me many times more before I become amazing at flowers drawing, but isn’t that the purpose of the practice?

Progress not perfection

Healing

Recently I noticed that I hide my pain. in spite the fact that I spend most of my waking hours trying to deal with it, I am actually ashamed of it, pretending its not there, and only refers to it when it becomes unbearable. 

My joint pain is a rigid teacher. i cant afford to stress at any level since it translate to pain immediately. I cant watch sopranos, I can’t create projects as I used to, I cannot be in a disagreement, and I cannot drink coffee ( one of my favorite thing in life ). 

I had to turn my life around completely. Every stress cause had to be let go. I did allot of letting go.

but with the recent let go of my house and the move to the city, the pain reached new levels that i simply couldn’t take. 

I tried everything from cbd to pharmaceutical but nothing could help me now.

except, I noticed some relief when i was around flowers 

their smell, their colours, their presence. 

I decided to follow up on that. 

I started drawing and painting flowers. 

At art school my teacher said I draw plants like portraits, as a compliment, but since it has been almost 30 years. Am I any good? I didn’t care. I was in pain and this was helping me. I just wanted relief…

To my surprise the reactions around me were good. 

I was afraid I will get criticised for drastically changing but I guess after trump presidency and covid, me drawing flowers suddenly is not that big of a deal. 

At one point I started thinking 

If it helps me to draw flowers, maybe my drawing can transfer the effect and help others with their pain?

Clarity. I liked this idea.

I wanted to keep it simple, to avoid stress. So in my mind im a florist, and I simply have a flower shop. 

This is not the art world, its not going to be in a gallery , a museum or an art fair. Im not even showing it to art professionals. its just me you and flowers. 

Letting go of pain and gaining in some peace 

I found these two older publications of mine

one from 2009 the other from 2011

check them out here

https://issuu.com/yifatgat

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Counterpoint / A dialogue between art and architecture

In music, counterpoint is the relationship between few musical lines which are harmonically interdependent yet independent.

The term originates from the Latin punctus contra punctum meaning "note against note".

Above is an Extract from the The Well-Tempered Clavier by Bach, my favorite piece of all time. I am not especially good at piano playing but I play enough to be able to ‘steal’ concepts from Bach.

In situ work to me is counterpoint work.

The reality of a place is a musical line that exists already

My work is to add a second line, harmonically interdependent yet independent.

When I come to work in a space I take the time to study it, be there, imagine the different scenarios possible and find the main motives I want to echo. 

This way of work offers another perspective on daily life. A variation that can be traced back to the building. Like a playful elegant riddle. This came from this, where did this come from?

The idea is to create an ‘organic surprise’. On one hand the presentation is authentic and coherent with the site. On the other hand it’s a complete surprise. It reads familiar and new at the same time. Harmonically. interdependent yet independent. 

I look to seduce the wondering eye of the spectator into an investigation of the work and its environment. Elegantly, playfully. Looking at the work, the spectator learns something about the building itself, its creator. It's a ping pong of perspectives. A dialogue between art and architecture. 

The infinity swirl - Update

The swirl motive started as a window performance in 2011. I apply Marble dust to a large window or mirror and draw with my finger into it. Since, I Performed the swirl in various occasions including brooklyn, Marseille and London.

Now it is taking all my attention and becoming A series of its own. Here are some pics from this week:

Marble dust on window Manifesta , The infinite village, Espace Jouenne, Marseille

curated by Francisca Viudes, Tilman and cora von zezschwitz.

Picture by @JuilaGatPhotography

Prints Made after the swirl drawings

here in my print shop in five different colours and four different sizes

New swirl on paper. coming up soon

Thank you for watching

and please take care

Love,

Yifat

My future studio

All my life I been dreaming about a house that has a studio in the heart of it.

Like julian schnabel or Agnes Martin

not the room in the back, nor a space from the city, all which are perfectly fine but A studio space that has living spaces around it is my real goal

Now that I am 50, happily unmarried and with half my kids out of the nest i feel its time.

And so, embarking on a new life chapter I decided to sell my house.

This is going to be a crazy ride factoring in all the before, during and after, of a big change

but Im looking forward to it.

Im seeing a large loft in the country side as my goal and already started looking around

To this end I want to share with you a short description that I made of my village, the waterfront location and the house itself.

I know it is an unusual request but it is for a good cause.

The new owner will also get his pick of works from my studio, I think its only appropriate, no?

Please share this with anyone you think may be interested. The reward is 2%.

Feel free to write to me if you have any other question

Thank you!

An olive branch

As a kid, I remember learning that an olive brach was a sign of peace.

that inspired my eight years old costume, dressing up as a peace angel for a carnaval.

White ghosty sheet with olive branch crown and peace songs in my heart.

I loved that costume.

Fast forward 30 years I realised those olive trees from my crown, belonged to people who had no right to take care of them. The peace song became sad as Rabin was assassinated. and I was getting ready to leave my country. olive branches became the symbol for anonymous Palestinian villages.

Where does one go?

Wherever olive trees grows… like a crumb trail, they suddenly were the symbol to my Mediterranean identity.

13 years later we still live at the same house in Provence.

Olive oil merchants house. olive oils here are treated like whine.

they hold olive oil tastings rituals, competition and prizes.

Now olives are a lifestyle symbol

Authentic. Tradition. Simplicity. Local. Natural.

The mantra that got me through the first lockdown

“Local, personal, natural”

I kept going back to this three words

As the world we knew as normal is questioned to the core

I have a need to say whats basic

whats simple

“Start were you are” Pema chodron says

so I did

This series was my one work a day and you can get a glimpse at most of these daily work here as an open edition

I also posted the 9 abstract here as a download

but I love printing

nothing compete with holding the paper in my hand

guessing how many grams this paper is and which Italian manufacture its from

250 gr, from Milan? I ask Fabrice my printer from Imprimerie Vallière

and he says of course. what else ?

checking the black shining in the sun reflection

making sure all my details, textures and imperfections are in place

Some of this scenes just happened

as I was walking back and forth in front of my house during the lock down this swans were following me

they really did

unlike the ducks that couldn’t care less these actually spotted me and joined my walk

I couldn’t help but stopping to draw them.

Above is a detail of one of the works

These are studio works that turned digital than printed on paper

This is one of my favorite things to do actually

It takes many stages but I love that

letting my work take form than separating the colours into different layers adding textures, imperfections and other form of bringing meaning into a stain, im in love with.

Over all I printed ten and they are 22x33 cm

this size stayed with me from our first printing attempt with fabrice

we wanted to use a vintage press machine for the prints

but couldnt get all the technical aspects to work

I ended up collecting the size, the colour seperations, and other forms of vintage press preparations into a digital process.

Check the limited edition here

Considering homeschooling your children ? welcome

More than 20 years into homeschooling my five kids It feels natural now. But it wasn't always like that. I had fears, I had questions, I had doubts. For years I went to homeschool meetings in my area and far from our area, to find other families, other mom's, that unschool.
I visited groups in North of Israel , Aix-en-Provence, LA, Sydney, and I created groups my self both in TLV and at home. These groups are what makes homeschooling possible. and the good news is that they are everywhere. You are never alone when you are homeschooling or unschooling. Your kids are never alone. When you travel or move there's always a group around the corner. It is always locally organised, but it is a global network. Some places hold sports day or get group discounts. There are national week long meetings as well. digging deeper you will find every walks of life in the mix. So in short, if you choose to take your kids out, welcome!