LEFT: Zachor (In Memoriam). RIGHT: Chanukah Tree. LOWER RIGHT: Inspiration and Tradition.
» gif t gu id e 2017/ o n t he cove r
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Artist and educator
Julie Wohl expresses
her passion in vibrant
works of art.
Dove
38
November 30 • 2017
S
ocial media helped Julie Wohl build an inter-
connected and multi-faceted career.
A painter of many subjects, she has estab-
lished web-based marketing platforms for her works
completed or planned on commission. As an educa-
tor, she found her new job at Congregation Shaarey
Zedek through Facebook.
And there’s much more.
Wohl, who grew up in Michigan and recently
returned after studies and professional commit-
ments outside the state, brings a focus on Judaism
throughout her working life. Most recently, she
immersed herself in Chanukah artistry on her own
and Chanukah programming as director of Youth
and Family Learning at the synagogue.
“I get inspiration from Jewish tradition and the
natural world,” says Wohl, 37. “I create very bright
and vibrant works of art that are about shapes, color
and space. The themes are connected to Judaism
and Jewish traditions, home and family and images
from nature.”
Her menorah images, painted in a home stu-
dio, are whimsical and colorful, and they become
more joyful when joined with dreidels and
hearts. They can be seen and purchased in differ-
ent formats, including fine-art prints and greet-
jn
ing cards on her website, juliewohl.com, plus her
Facebook and Etsy pages.
Workshops also have entered into her career.
“I created a business called Jewish Learning Thru
Art,” she explains. “I would run communal artmak-
ing workshops in synagogues around the country.
Sometimes, my workshops led into conversations
about art, and sometimes, my art led to the creation
of workshops. Teaching art has helped me sell art,
and art has helped me find more places to do work-
shops.”
Books are important, too.
“I’ve written and illustrated a Shabbat family
siddur, which is used around the country and pro-
moted me as an educator and artist,” she says. “I also
illustrated a family Haggadah.”
Raised in Reform traditions and moving into
a Conservative lifestyle, Wohl has collaborated
with Rabbi Lauren Kurland for A Family Shabbat
Prayer Book in Reform and Conservative editions.
Simply Seder: A Passover Haggadah was edited by
Dena Neusner. The teacher-artist also illustrated
Families Like You and Me by Rabbi Jason Bonder to
delve into ideas of caring for each other and our
environment.
Growing up in West Bloomfield, Wohl says she