Former Scottsdale artist, Marlene Burns, is pleased to announce that she will be showing her new Judaic series of paintings, based on liturgical prayers, in Scottsdale next month. Burns, an abstract expressionist, lived and worked in Scottsdale for eighteen years and now resides in Tucson. She is equally passionate about her Judaism and involvement in it. When she lived in the Phoenix area, she was an active member and lay leader at Temple Chai. Her photo graced the cover of the Jewish News accompanied by an article on lay leadership. For many years, she led alternative services on Shabbat mornings at the temple, as well as sing in the choir, chant on the High Holy days and tutor through the B’Nai Mitzvah program. Under the tutelage of Rabbi William Berk and Cantor Sharona Feller, Marlene found her spiritual place within Judaism. Her love of the Torah cantilation, the system for properly chanting, inspired her to teach others to learn to chant as well. Marlene has tutored and taught hundreds of our children in the Phoenix area, over the years. She first chanted Torah when her son, Adam, became a Bar Mitzvah at Har Zion Congregation over twenty years ago. Having come from an orthodox family, involvement at this level was not permitted by women. “When egalitarianism found it’s place in Conservative Judaism and I was able to get up close and personal, there was no turning back. The Bima became a comfortable place for me to be,” she says. On several occasions, Marlene helped support fundraising by creating paintings with Jewish symbols to be offered for auctions, as well as art shows sponsored by the temple.
Marlene is no stranger to religious art. She apprenticed at a stained glass art studio in Cleveland that specialized in sanctuary art. Although most of her work involved churches, she discovered that religious art has a huge impact on people of faith.
Marlene relocated to Tucson seven years ago and continued with both of her passions in painting and religious teaching. For a good part of this year, she officiated as Cantor and Rabbi for a new congregation in Tucson. Currently, she is the spiritual leader of Chavurah Chesed Northwest.
In recent months, Marlene has melded her two passions together. As an abstract expressionist, she explains, there is a process at the start where she goes within to pull out the expression. For this prayer series, she actively studies the prayer beforehand, reviewing commentary and midrashim, then concentrates on the words and meanings and chants or sings through her initial steps of applying the mixed medium onto the canvas. Her first three paintings have centered on the central prayer of Judaism, the Sh’ma, the V’ahavtah paragraph that follows and the Misheberach prayer, which is a healing prayer. She continues to sing throughout the process of painting.
Burns has discovered a new source of inspiration in the power of these prayers, their words and tunes. “ I can’t believe that I have never considered combining the two into one process, “ she comments.
Marlene Burns is represented in Scottsdale by Art Source for Design at 15816 N. Greenway-Hayden Loop. Her prayer series, in addition to all of her 2009 art, can be viewed at her one woman show, kicking off with an artist’s reception from 5-7 p.m. on February 6th, 2010 at Art Source for Design. Marlene would love to share this new concept in her work with the Jewish community, as well as reconnect with old friends and former clients.
