Puff, the Magic Dragon Sculpture

I was born in 1944, in South Africa, to a Jewish family and as a young man I worked in my father's accountancy firm. But the "call of the wild" never left me and I took off for the Cape and studied forestry. Eventually I came to Israel, became a member of Kibbutz Beit Ha'emek and worked in the avocadoes. Avocadoes, together with lychees and water management, are my lifework. Wood carving entered my life during reserve duty in the Israeli army. I developed my talent and skills using various kinds of wood, but the main source of my materials is, of course, avocado wood! How many artists can say that they actually grow their own materials?! Today, part of my day is spent "hunting" the special pieces of avocado wood, branches or roots, which contain the life and movement for the next statue. Avocado wood has unexpected qualities – curving shapes, glowing colors and varied textures. From a piece of wood that most people would throw on the fire, I work to create my figures, with love and sometimes humor. My sculptures make up a world of graceful dancers, modernistic faces, unknown creatures and dramatic abstracts. For me, trees, nature and wood are my life and soul. In each of my works I seek to uncover the life, movement and spirit that lurk in every piece of wood.