Book Object, From Above, One-of-a-Kind Artwork

Floating in a sea of turbulent blue and white wax, pieces of wood and a bottle cap drift on what was once a book cover. A glimpse of the pages inside reveals Hebrew text in a gap between the wood and the cover, evoking an aerial view of the Mediterranean within this one-of-a-kind art piece. The watery imagery contrasts sharply with the Carmel wildfires that burned down Ein Hod, the artist colony Levendel has lived in for decades, bringing to mind the importance of abundant sources of water.Nechama Levendel’s work features a unique combination of artforms. She repurposes books using an ancient technique of encaustic wax painting. While this technique is traditionally used on wooden boards, Levendel’s unique works incorporate old, discarded books and the drippings of candle wax. She has lived in Ein Hod Artists’ Village since 1984 and shared her work with Kolbo in an exclusive 2013 exhibit.We’ll let the artist herself tell you about her Book Objects:“I started working with books during o