By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent
After her mother died of multiple sclerosis more than a year ago, Wiebke Light discovered a new way to express herself.
Light’s mother lost the ability to speak, and there was no way to communicate with her. The death ignited Light’s creativity and inspired her to make a print in honor of her mother. The print represented a fond memory Light had of rowing with her mom and sister.
Light is no stranger to art. She used to work as an art historian at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. Light borrows images from books about Israeli customs and medieval Spanish and Portuguese manuscripts, among other literature that she has come across throughout her Jewish studies.
“I personally like the activity of researching the theme,” said Light. She also designs her own prints, most of which have Jewish themes.
“There is such a wealth of Jewish art in history,” said Light, adding that her husband, Rabbi Stuart Light, who leads the Judaics program at the Jewish Day School of Metropolitan Seattle, is also a great resource for her.
Making prints comes naturally to Light. She began making her own prints for about half a year before taking a class at North Seattle Community College to fine-tune her skills. The class taught her about using different colors in prints and how to use a printing press.
When she creates her own prints at home, Light carves the mold of her designs out of linoleum, experimenting with the thickness of the lines and the contrast of white and black. In her works, she uses water-based paints that take about a day to dry. “Every paint has a different texture,” she said.
Light is uncertain of her future as an artist, but is sure that she enjoys making prints.
“For my last wedding anniversary, I gave my husband a framed piece of my artwork to hang up in his office,” said Light.
Her husband showed the piece to several at JDS without mentioning that his wife was the maker, allowing them to have an unbiased opinion. Deborah Simonds, co-owner of the Magneev art gallery on Mercer Island, who has a child at JDS, saw the piece. She had just returned from a trip back east to look for original artwork for her shop, and she was intrigued by the piece. She has since become a strong supporter of Light’s artwork.
“It’s nice to work with people, rather than just on my own,” said Light.
Light, originally from Hamburg, Germany, lives in Seattle with her husband and two children. She mattes and frames her own limited-edition prints. They can be found at Magneev, Tree of Life Books & Judaica, and Fireworks in Seattle. She can be reached at [email protected].