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October 20, 2000/21 Tishri 5761, Vol. 53, No.4
Cards capture love of Hebrew calligraphy
BETH OLSON
Editorial Assistant
"A Sweet Year" is a card designed for Rosh Hashana, with the blessing over the apple circling the plate.
Blending art and nature is a way of life for Marla Levine. Her garden, for example, is the resting spot for a variety of sculptures and sports an artsy figure-eight path.
Walking on the path, Levine takes note of the beauty of her surroundings. And just as she uses art to compliment that natural beauty, she also uses nature to enhance the beauty of her art.
Levine designs Judaica greeting cards for her own company, Marla's Inkwell. The cards blend her affinity for nature, her gift of creativity and her talent for Hebrew calligraphy.
Levine started Marla's Inkwell after years of handcrafting greeting cards for family and friends. The first card she designed was for her best friend's wedding.
"The first one had a champagne bottle and out of the bubbles I made (the couple's) Hebrew names. From there I started just doing Hanukkah cards and holiday cards and pretty soon I had a little line formed.
"It kind of gave me an excuse to keep drawing. I don't tend to do it for myself, but I do like to give them (to others)," Levine says.
Levine was born in Evansville, Ind., to Jack and Florence Cohen. She grew up in a home with four brothers.
"Being the only girl, I always spent a lot of time on my own. That's when I started drawing and writing," she says.
Levine's love of letters also began when she was a child, she says, "I loved practicing (writing) the alphabet when I was a little kid. I always spent a lot of time trying to perfect the letters."
This early love of art lead Levine to pursue an art degree at Indiana University. Unfortunately, the inks used in the silk screen printing caused rashes to form on Levine's skin, so she had to change majors. Upon receiving a telecommunications degree in 1980, she began working in the publishing industry in Indiana, she says.
After a few years, Levine decided to move from her small town to Arizona in 1982 - what she calls her "no guts, no glory tour."
"My parents had always given me Arizona Highways magazines because they knew I like photography and nature. ... I kept looking at the magazines and saying, 'I could live there,' " Levine says.
Upon moving to Arizona, Levine became active with Temple Beth Israel, where she celebrated her adult bat mitzvah in 1985.
She also met her husband, Stuart, at a local Jewish singles dance, and they have been married for 12 years.
For the last eight years, the Levines have resided in the far West Valley. They are not currently members of a synagogue, although they occassionally attend services, says Levine. The couple celebrates Shabbat at home each week.
"I grew up in more of a small-town area where you did more things at home, so I'm very comfortable doing the Jewish ceremonies at home. ... They're very memorable-it's tradition," Levine says.
For eight years, Levine has worked part-time as the public relations coordinator for the Forum at Desert Harbor, a senior living community in Peoria, she says. This position has left her time to pursue her love of art and start marketing her cards.
Each Marla's Inkwell card is hand-drawn, utilizing Hebrew calligraphy that Levine learned in a class she took at the Valley of the Sun Jewish Community Center, she says. Each card takes up to 22 hours to design.
"I don't want to do them on the computer. ... It's an age-old Hebrew tradition-I just don't want them to look like clip-art," Levine says.
She also enjoys writing the poetic sentiments found inside the cards. "I love playing with words," she says, "You can create pictures out of words and words into pictures."
The cards are printed in plum and orange, on cream-colored card stock and can be purchased for $1.75 each.
To order Marla's Inkwell greeting cards, call 623-974-3035.
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