A Jewish Grandmother Looks at Creation

I do not think about being Jewish. It is simply something I am. It is my core. When I was little, my family was Orthodox. On Saturday, my grandfather and I walked to Temple. The women sat upstairs. I thought it was special and wonderful to be part of their sisterhood. I was proud to be a Jewish woman and looked forward to becoming a cherished wife and mother. My fondest memories were of all of the family together on Friday evenings and Saturdays, on the Holidays. The excitement of being permitted to ask questions, the mental stimulation of listening to different answers, and various interpretations of words and ideas were indelibly imprinted in my basic way of thinking, of living.

When I was eight, my father died. My external life changed abruptly. It became quite secular, but my internal beliefs remained quietly steadfast. I quickly learned to keep my own counsel. I still do.

As an artist, I never talk about what I am going to do. I just do it. When the work is done, I want to share it with other people to see and hear how they respond to it. But what I am watching for is to see whether the work is strong enough to make people stop and look, whether it causes them to think—not whether or not they “like” it or want to put it over their couch.

Since I earn my living as a teacher, I can remain aloof from the restraints of the marketplace. Financial, social, ethical and time restraints impose so many limitations on our external lives, but I refuse to put limits on my internal, creative life. Paper and pencil, paint and canvas set my imagination free. I really believe that if one human being searches deeply enough, honestly enough, into what is meaningful and important to them, they will touch on something vital to other people as well. It is amazing how often this actually happens.

Adam and Eve / The Golem Series: Richard and Xanthippe

The elegance of the language of Genesis has always been arresting for me. “There was the morning and the evening, the first day.” I am fascinated with the concept of creation, the moment in time when the universe was new and unspoiled, when the first man and woman were unashamed. Then, of course, there looms the shadow of tantalizing temptation and its consequences.

In Genesis, it says;

“The Lord God formed man from the dust of the earth. He blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.”

“And God created man in His image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

(left) Sherry Camhy, In the Beginning, Genesis Series, 2000 (detail). Pencil on paper. 12″ × 16″.

(below) Sherry Camhy, Let There Be Light, 2004. Graphite on paper, 72″ ×48″.

When I finally got my own studio, I stared blankly at the empty white space. It was one thing to be in art school; it was another to be on my own. “What do I want to say?” I had no idea. Finally, in frustration, I changed the question. If I could not figure out what I wanted to say, I definitely did know what I wanted to do. I wanted to see if I could create really beautiful drawings of real human beings, naked, timeless, an image of Adam and Eve. I wanted to see if I could free drawing from being the handmaiden of painting. I wanted to paint with a pencil.

(left) Sherry Camhy, The First Day, Genesis Series, 2000 (detail). Pencil on paper. 12″ × 16″.

(below) Sherry Camhy, Water, 2001. Graphite on paper, 64″ × 38″.

As I worked, I began to think about what makes a person beautiful. Neither of the models I found were truly idealized stereotypes. I had been thinking about finding ones that were considered physically attractive. But what made...