Rafi Stern

About Rafi Stern

Rafi Stern was born and grew up in London. In high school he excelled in visual arts but decided against following an artistic career and went on instead to study and qualify in engineering. Rafi emigrated to Israel in 1990, married and settled in Beit Shemesh where he lives today with his wife and five children.

Rafi returned to art in 2003 and started taking evening classes in drawing and painting. Very quickly, his paintings garnered much praise and proved favorites at local shows.

Rafi specializes in painting Israeli scenes and landscapes and works in a style that blends between realism and impressionism. He paints in the spare time left between family and his work in high-tech and works in a home studio from reference photos that he shoots himself.

About my work

Trained as an engineer, I returned to art as a way to return creativity to my life and to enjoy the beauty of the world around me. In my work I seek to depict beauty in both the essence of a moment and in the full breadth of the scene that I am painting - the interactions of light and shade, color, depth, expanse and intimacy.

Around us every day are fragments of beauty. Sometimes we are able to immerse ourselves in a landscape but at other times all we see is a fleeting glimpse as we pass by. The play of sunlight through the leaves of a tree, reflections on the water of a flowing brook or the timeless majesty of the ancient walls of Jerusalem - each of these speaks to us in its own way and calls on us to linger, and absorb and recharge from its atmosphere.

Painting is a kind of intimacy - of getting inside a scene, living it, recreating it and gaining a new deeper acquaintance. Then, the viewer is invited to become a partner in the experience and to share in it. I hope that you will enjoy this sharing.

Gallery Representation

Nofim Gallery, 24 Ben Sira St, Jerusalem
http://www.nofimgallery.com
+972-(0)2-623 5532

Exhibitions