Bound

This painting is part of my series on Jewish identity - "This Is A Part Of Me." I had people submit stories about their experiences regarding the juxtaposition of tradition and modernity in their lives in relation to their Judaism.

David's story involved him being of a non religious/non observant background and now being married to someone with a religious upbringing. It was about appreciating tradition and combining aspects of both those lives harmoniously.

I chose to portray David wearing tefillin (black leather boxes worn during religious prayer) over his tattoos (not allowed according to Jewish law) - juxtaposing tradition and modernity in a way that was very real in his life.

I also wanted to portray this combination as something beautiful.

You can see a closeup image here: http://dribbble.com/shots/304294-Bound-Closeup-Detail-Shot