Page 3 of trying to fill up a Jewish sketchbook

The death of Miriam, her miraculous well that sustains the Israelites in the desert departing with her.

This piece marks the beginning of the Nine Days, a period of mourning leading up to Tisha B’Av, the date commemorating the destruction of both Temples and many other calamities in Jewish memory.

Though Miriam’s death takes place earlier in the month of Tammuz, it sets the emotional tone for this time. Her passing marks the loss of the miraculous well that accompanied the Israelites through the desert, her spiritual influence quite literally dried up.

The tambourines floating upward in the piece recall her leadership and joy after the crossing of the Sea. They once rang with song and celebration, but here they’re suspended, marking the absence left behind.