36’’ X 60’’

Acrylic on Canvas

Simply being aware of our bodies can bring about such tremendous change. To create a piece about this, I asked my friend Henny Stern to pose for me.

Henny is a trauma-informed psychotherapist, somatic practitioner, and embodied dancer, and helps people heal trauma through their bodies.

When Henny arrived, she shared her process of meditation: She begins sitting, noticing the position her body is sitting in naturally. She doesn’t try to shift her position to “a better position,” but honors the downward, closed position she finds her body in initially.

Moving deeper into this experience, she notices how her body shifts. Her body opens, she stretches her legs and arms, and slowly moves into a standing position. She then begins to dance.

While this is Henny’s process, she wanted to impart to the viewer that “each of our bodies communicates and guides us to our own authentic truth. It’s about learning to listen to these messages and then having the courage to honor and respect them.”

You can follow Henny on Instagram @holisticpsychotherapist and learn more about the power of healing trauma through the body

36’’ X 48’’

Acrylic and Mixed Media on Canvas

What incredible power there is in just sitting and talking with each other! To capture the dynamics of a simple conversation, I arranged for my friend Malka and her roommate Chani to pose for a painting while conversing.

When they showed up for the sitting, I found out they had never actually sat down together and had a deep conversation. They looked up “36 questions to get a conversation going” on the internet in order to get personal right away, and both remarked later that the exchange was the highlight of their week.

This is the capturing of that exchange.

22’’ X 30

Mixed Media on Paper

My friend Laura became a brilliant cellist at a young age. Cello was her tool to feel significant and loved, and also a way to avoid the grief of her mother’s passing. Most of her social interactions involved showcasing her cello talent.

When she was 18, Laura decided to begin the separation from what she did to who she was, and attend a gathering without her cello. As she told me: “Beginning Shabbat observance (which prohibits playing music on the Sabbath) was the glue that began the process, and having children was the cement (to an identity separate from a musician).”

When Laura posed for me, I asked if she wanted me to draw her while she played cello.

“I don’t think so,” she said. “I would like it to be just us.”

Follow Laura’s cellist journey on Instagram @LauraMelnicoff

11’’ X 14’’

Acrylic on Canvas

Strengthening our bodies is an essential practice. I switched this year from yoga to dance,returning to the power of original, personal expression. The raw power of music hitting my senses and catapulting me into movement is extraordinary.

It’s what we as humanity have always done to express our freedom, and will always continue to do.