B”H
I’m not sure what I love more, finding beautiful Judaica or a good giveaway? Well today I’ve brought you both! I’ve partnered with FridzArt so that one of you can win a beautiful glass and acrylic challah board. You might remember from this post on Acrylic Judaica that I featured two pieces from FridzArt’s collection and if you follow me on Instagram you may have seen a sneak peek at my beautiful eggplant color FridzArt challah board.
I originally discovered FridzArt in Florida when I was there at a speaking engagement. I was so impressed by it that I had to find out more. I’m always fascinated by women and their creative process. So, I went ahead and asked Debbie Fridzon, creator of FridzArt, all about her creative process:
1- Did something in your academic training prepare you for this?
Yes, I have had a fascination for the arts, both designing pieces and dancing ballet, from a very young age. That is why I pursued a career in Architecture. I have a BA and MS in Architecture from Florida International University in Miami, FL.
Architecture gave me a lot of structure around my creative thinking. It gave me the opportunity to put my skills in practice by designing and making dozens of complex models over the years. It was critical training and lots of fun!
2- How did the idea of FridzArt come about? What motivated you to start creating and selling these products?
Right after graduating from FIU I got married and moved to Pittsburgh in 2008, where my husband was doing and MBA in Carnegie Mellon University. Finding a job in architecture in Pittsburgh during the financial downturn proved to be very challenging, and left me with lots of time on my hands.
I did what I had been doing for years, I kept trying to design things and continued my creative studies by learning how to use new design programs and techniques. That’s where I produced my first Judaica piece, which I did for our new home. It was an abstract interpretation of a chatan and kallah under a chuppah with the Hebrew words Kol Sasson veKol Simcha. I used AutoCAD to make a stencil, and used paint to make the piece.
I then designed a kiddush cup as a gift for my husband’s graduation, which was then brought to life by Moshe Pekkar, a silversmith from the Jewish community.
I got great reviews from friends and community members. That is when I knew this could be something I could work on while being home raising a family.
I took me a few years to really get into this, as pregnancy and child rearing took over my life with Shaina and Rivka being born just 21 months apart, and then our little boy Arie Leib.
3- What was the first product you sold as FridzArt?
The first product was the FridzArt Shema. It’s an acrylic piece that comes in different sizes and colors that has a modern depiction of the verse of Shema. I was inspired to create my own aleph beit from the work of Dan Weinstein and I got the idea to work with acrylic as other architects were starting to use it to build models.
After a lot of sketches on paper and designs in AutoCAD, and various tests we produced the FridzArt Shema and I now use it as my logo.
4- What other products can you highlight from the FridzArt collection?
There are 2 more products that are worth mentioning: the FridzArt Seder Plate and the FridzArt Challah Tray. They are both outgrowths from the FridzArt Shema, as I still use acrylic and my own modern Hebrew letters, but they are more complex pieces as they have other materials and they were designed to be an integral part of the Jewish home.
Both of these functional pieces come in different colors and are great gifts for special occasions.
5- How much time does it take you to design and manufacture a new product?
If its a creative new piece it takes me around 6 months to come up with the idea, develop it, test it until I have a product I feel confident to sell. I enjoy the whole process a lot, as I explore and morph the idea every step of the way.
But, another side of my business are special orders, where the client has a particular need and budget, for example a gift they want to give to members of the community. This usually takes me less time as there are more constraints to the creative process.
6- What is your goal and main aspiration with this project?
To create a Judaica collection that invites others to the beautiful experience of Judaism in a modern way. To motivate woman into setting their Shabbat and Jewish Holiday tables and fill them with guests.
7- Any new creations and ideas brewing in your head or sketchpad right now? What will you create next?
Many ideas are flowing and being tested, G-d willing I hope to materialize one of them before the end of the year.
Wow, it was so fun to learn how these beauties come to life! Thanks, Debbie for sharing. And now, let’s make this even more fun!
First of all, ALL of you my dear readers can get $10 off on a $100 purchase with the code JLP10 at FridzArt.com The discount code is valid until July 31, 2018!
Second, this is your chance to get your hands on one of FridzArt’s beautiful Challah Trays! All you have to do to enter this contest is:
- Subscribe to Jewish Latin Princess’ Newsletter. Yes, only email subscribers will be entered in the contest. And of course, you have three other ways to get more entries in and increase your chances of winning!
Enter to win a modern challah tray by FridzArt!
Subscribe to get JLP's weekly newsletter by email.
- Follow FridzArt on Instagram
- Follow Jewish Latin Princess on Instagram
- Tell us in the comments section of this blog post, which color you would love to win!?
I can’t wait to see who wins and what color you choose! We will be checking entries. Contest ends May 14 at 11:59 pm ET, and the winner will be announced May 15, 2018. Which color challah tray do you want to win!?
Thanks to FridzArt for Sponsoring this Post
Enter to win a modern challah tray by FridzArt!
Subscribe to get JLP's weekly newsletter by email.
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