Carving a niche for herself
Jessica Mandelzys' work reflects her personal life and experiences
KYLE BERGER STAFF REPORTER
Evco'onc has something in their life they feci they can't live without. Bodybuilders need their hours in the g>'m. Couch potatoes could not turn off the television without their daily dose of the Simpsons and Israelis can't drive without honking the horn.
And so it is with Jessica Man-delz>-s. Tlie 23-year-old Vancouver artist is convinced that if she had to live without carving linoleum, she would go crazy.
She said her work with lino art is an expression of her emotions, a form of stress relief, a way to capture a moment in her life and preserve it. "If I don't do it I feel like I'm missing something," she said. "It's sort of like missing a vitamin or a food supplement. It's like the art food group."
Mandelzys spends her days studying and creating art and has found a passion in expressing herself with linoleum.
To create lino art, the artist uses a special knife to carve an image into soft linoleum. Once the carving is complete, a thin layer of ink is rolled across it. A press then squeezes the ink off the linoleum and on to a sheet of paper, creating the finished product. In her work, Mandelzys uses actual flooring tiles.
Mandelzys is currently working on a series of works that, due to recent experiences, has become quite close to her heart. From the summer of 1997 through the summer of 1998, she travelled and studied in Israel, an experience that inspired her artistically as well as personally. She
gained a great appreciation for the land and history of Israel. Her studies of Jewish art at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem opened up a world that she hadn't known before.
"Living in Vancouver I didn't know anything about Jewish art," she said. "It really fascinated me." This fascination inspired her to begin work on her current series about Israel in which she captures her own experiences and emotions. She hopes to preserve the work so she can share it with her grandchildren.
Mandelzys works part-time for the Canadian Friends of Hebrew University, where she provides information about the school through workshops at high schools across the Lower Mainland. She says her time in
A cut above: An example of Jessica Mandelzys' work from her current series on Israel.
Israel has also inspired her to consider returning to the land of milk and honey where she would work to obtain a master's degree in graphic design and possibly make aliyah.
In 1997, she received a bachelor of fine arts and studio art from the University of British Columbia. She is currently attending Vancouver Community College where she is studying graphic design. She has also recently been hired as a research intern at the Vancouver Art Gallery. .
Through her education, experience and practice, Mandelzys' goal is simply to continue creating her art. She accepts the common struggle of an artist who would attempt to make a living selling their work.
"I don't know how much money I can make from it but that's not really a huge thing for me," she explained modestly.
"rd like to keep developing my work, keep on doing more shows and have a studio eventually."
Mandelzys rents studio space at the Malispena Print Makers Society and has a piece from a scries she completed on immigrants on display at the Havana Cafe Gallery in Vancouver.
Although she has only sold her work privately to friends, family and students, who saw her art on her dormitory wall at the Hebrew University.
Mandelzys says she would be happy to meet with anyone who is interested in viewing, displaying or purchasing her creations. To contoct Mandelzys, call 266-3024. □
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