NEW YORK, NY.- Ednah Schwartz is a fascinating Jewish Israeli artist. While Ednah was born in New York City, she grew up mainly in Israel with her parents and older brother. Later, Ednah married and settled in Kfar Blum - a Kibbutz located in the Upper Galilee (the northern valley region of Israel). There she raised her three children, all of whom served in the IDF (Israeli Defense Forces), and this is where she resides and works as an independent artist to this very day.

How does Ednah Schwartz look at art?

Ednah embodies art. She views it as a way of life and an integral part of who she is. It is an extension of herself and a reflection of how she views the world. For Ednah, pursuing her art was a conscious choice and it created an intersection where her passion and her profession merge and thrive. Ednah’s art reflects her values and her experiences. While some of the images and subject matter can be harsh, the depth of her soul and the kindness within her can be felt with every single brush stroke and within every single image. This juxtaposition, between harsh real world reality, and the beauty and hopefulness of how she perceives the world, creates the perfect tension and a wonderful sense of optimism.


Palestinian Girls of the Intifada?; Oil on Canvas Board, 8″ x 10″

Ednah delves deep into her soul while her hands create every emotion and thought through the colors on the canvas. As mentioned earlier, Ednah’s art touches on controversial topics, but she consciously attempts to showcase them as they really are. Ednah's ability to approach life and art with an open non-judgmental mind, and an inclusive attitude, are why her artworks are loved and appreciated by people from all walks of life and by individuals from all political spectrums.

About Ednah’s Art:

Ednah is a poet with a paintbrush, and her art is impressively varied and diverse. On the one hand, Ednah paints calming and joyful nature scenes such as the lush Hula valley and the riveting landscapes of the Galilee and the Golan Heights. On the other hand, in her more politrical works, one can feel the depths of the sorrow she feels having lived through the continuous wars, terror attacks and bombings that have plagued the Upper Galilee region for many decades.

In addition, Ednah’s parents were both Holocaust survivors and this inherent trauma resurfaces and finds its way onto the canvas in Ednah's paintings and subject matter.

Ednah's curiosity and wonder are also seen through the wide array of art mediums she is versed in. Her artwork includes the use of oils, watercolors, acrylics, pastels, charcoal, pencil, woodcuts, linoleum cuts, mixed medium pieces and the list goes on. Ednah renders her pieces full of emotion, and the connections through her use of colors are as strong as the subjects depicted.



According to Ednah, “Painting is a conversation with myself, with you - the viewer, and with the universe.”

Ednah’s educational journey:

• Graduated from Wizo France high school for the arts, Tel Aviv, Israel.
• BFA degree from Parsons School of Design, New York City.
• Recipient of the New York State Incentive scholarship.
• Recipient of the Parsons School Of Design scholarship.
• Recipient of a special seminar scholarship to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
• Certified art therapist, received from the New School for Social Research, NYC.
• Certified in the “Lam System” and Therapeutic Puppet Theater.
• Art teacher, Emek Hahula school, Israel.
• Special education teacher, Emek Hahula school, Israel.

Ednah’s political artworks:

Ednah's body of work includes political pieces that depict controversial places and serious scenes. For example, Ednah's painting entitled “The Good Fence” (the Israeli - Lebanese border), symbolizes both periods of war and cooperation. Additionally, this artwork depicts Ednah's strong connection to the area since she lives in that region and all three of her children served in that vicinity. More importantly, this piece was painted days before the Good Fence was permanently closed, so it represents a farewell of sorts to the fence and to the missed opportunities of peace on both sides of the border.



Likewise, Ednah's painting entitled, “Grapes of Wrath'' is named after the Israeli military operation (that her son took part in) in 1996 which impacted life in the northern region of Israel where Ednah still lives to this day. Moreover, other political art pieces in Ednah's collection include: “Palestinians Girls of the Intifada?,” “Palestinian Intifada Mothers,” “Standing Over the Dead,” “There is No End,” “Women of the Resistance” and more. All of her political works can be viewed in the "artworks" section of Ednah's website.

Ednah’s landscapes:

Ednah's landscapes cover most of the northern region all the way to the central and coastal parts of Israel. The pieces include scenes from the Golan Heights, the Naftali Mountains, the Hula Valley, and the coastal plains. By viewing these paintings, one can get an understanding of how diversified the topography in Israel is, as well as how polar the climate can be. For example, these dichotomies can be seen in the color use and depiction of the piece entitled, “Severe Heat Wave in the Upper Galilee” when contrasted with “The Hula Valley in Springtime.” Many other such examples can be found on Ednah’s website.

Ednah’s “Me Series”:

Ednah’s “Me Series” is a collection of ink self-portrait drawings that depict different facets of her own personality. These somewhat simplistic ink sketches have managed to capture a world of thought and emotions within them. Artists, like all of us, experience a vast array of emotions, but what sets them apart is their ability and their willingness to lay it all down on paper for the world to see and judge. The “ME Series” offers us a glimpse into the inner workings of Ednah's mind. The lines are clean, crisp and drawn with confidence. These ink drawings playfully depict Ednah's different personalities as if they are just explaining to us what is really going on inside.

Edna's Art Exhibitions:

Ednah's emotional depiction of landscapes and the way she infuses them with hope, even within the most dire of subject matters, is a rare and coveted talent.

Ednah's works were exhibited in:

1983 – Pittsburgh PA – One Woman Show.
1984 – Kibbutz Kfar Blum Israel – One Woman Show.
1985 – Kibbutz Kfar Blum Israel – One Woman Show.
1986 – Merzig, Germany – One Woman Show.
1987 – Group Exhibit – Metulla, Israel.
1988 – Metulla, “Alef” Gallery – One Woman Show.
1988 – American Embassy, Cultural Center, Tel Aviv Israel – One Woman show.
1988 – Bernkastel-Kues, Germany – One Woman show.
1988 – Eked, Israel – Group Show.
1989 – Goldenstad, Germany – One Woman show.
1992 – NY SOHO ART, Agora Gallery International Competition: Awarded Certificate of Excellence.

Some of Ednah's work can be viewed on her website and she chooses to share some choice pieces periodically on Facebook as well.