Personal
Shoshana Levit – Fine Art, Author and Illustrator
Born in Vilnius, Lithuania
Immigrated to Israel in 1972.
Married, mother of three.
Fields
Fine Art, Author and Illustrator.
Changes in Life, Changes in Art
I was born in Lithuania and my palette was dark. As artists, we are often semi-permeable people. We absorb and become some of what is around us. The stark geography of colder climates, the sun-drenched colors of other places, all affect the people who live, and create, in any given place.
When I arrived in Israel, I was amazed, and shaken, by the almost eternal sun in the blue sky, the bright, saturated colors of nature that surrounded me. My palette changed. I began to embrace color as an experience, and it passed into me, and into my work. There is a playfulness that is only possible with color, and a defiance too. We are emboldened and made brave by strong art. And artists must be brave if we hope to preserve, and develop, our gifts into adulthood.
Gifts and Wishes
We say an artist is “gifted,” that their ability was somehow freely bestowed. But every artist will at some point acknowledge that with the gift came a powerful drive to give to the world. My wish is that the way I use my gift helps others to use theirs, that my books and work help another bring their creative powers to life.
1963-1967 Vilnius Tsherniahovsky Art School
1973 The Art School, Art Village “Ein Hod, Israel.
1985 New England School of Art&Design, Boston
1986 School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1989 Studies of Illustration in the School of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
1990 Studies of Illustration in England School of Arts, Boston, USA.
Membership
“Somalion” – a Union of Writers and Poets for Children
Hebrew Writers Association in Israel
SCBWI
“Impact” – Professional Visual Artists Association in Israel
Israeli Professional Artist Association (IPAA)
Exhibitions
Took part in 42 exhibitions in Lithuania, Israel& USA. Among them:
1974 Group exhibition of 4 artists in Yad Le Banim Gallery, Rehovot, Israel
1979 Group exhibition of Artists of Boston Experimental Etching Studio,
Brocton Art Museum, Mass, USA
1982 One man exhibition in Sara Kishon Gallery, Tel Aviv, Israel
1983 One man exhibition in Old Yaffa Gallery, Yaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel
1984 Group exhibition of Israeli Artist and Sculptors Association, Tel Aviv
1986-1988 Group exhibition “Save life on Earth”, Boston, USA, shown in
Budapest, Geneva, Moscow, Oslo, Essen, Cologne, Beijing, Tokyo,
Hiroshima, North Africa, Melbourne.
1989 One man exhibition in Pakazzi Besso Palazzo, Rome, Italy
1990 One man exhibition in The Israel Museum, Jerusalem
1997 One man exhibition in Gallery of Beit Ariela, Tel Aviv, Israel
2002 Group exhibition “Israel 2002”, Riding, Tel Aviv, Israel
2005 Group exhibition in Beit Dondikov Museum, Rehovot, Israel
2007 Group exhibition in Beit Dondikov Museum, Rehovot, Israel
2007 One man exhibition in Eshkol Pais Gallery, Rehovot, Israel
2007 Group project and exhibition of 200 Artists in 6 settlements of Galilee,
Israel
2007 Group project and exhibition of 100 Artists, “Touching the orange”, in
Rehovot, Israel
2008 Group project and exhibition of 120 Artists, “60 to Israel”, Rishon LeZion,
Israel
2008 Gallery b’ART le CHEUAL de SABLE, Paris, France, group exhibition of
Israeli’s artists
2008 BETH ASIA EXPO, group exhibition, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2008 EXPO OLIM, Jerusalem Theatre Gallery, group exhibition, Jerusalem
2009 One man exhibition “As a thousand suns”, UNESCO Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania
2010 Group exhibition in Antiquity Museum of Jaffa, Jaffa, “Freedom to Gilad Shalit”
2011 Group exhibition in Antiquity Museum of Jaffa, Jaffa
2011 Group exhibition in Amalia Arbel Gallery, Port, Tel-Aviv, Israel
2012 Group exhibition in Gallery of the House of
2012 Group exhibition in the Museum of Nature, Jerusalem
2012 Group exhibition in Old Yaffa
2012 Group exhibition in Ashdod
Competitions, Prizes
1984 First place in Logo Competition for Architect Company, Boston, USA
1989 First place on the International Illustrators Competition, the Ernesto Besso
Foundation, Rome, Italy
1989 Firs1989 First prize in International Illustration Jane Rodari Competition, Italyt place in the Competition of the Museum of Art, for Christmas card, Boston
1990 First place in the poster competition “100 Years of Rehovot”, Israel
1990 First place in Christmas Card Competition, Boston Museum of
Fine Art
Author and Illustrator of Children’s Books
“The Haftaa” (“The Surprise”), “Yedioth Ahronoth Sfarim” Publishers, 1990
“Nahum Takum” (“Humpty – Dumpty”), “Sifriat Poalim” Publishers, 1991-2017
“Nahum Takum” (“Humpty – Dumpty”), “Sifriat Poalim”, newest edition, 2017
“Gan Tamar” (“Tamar’s Kinder Garden”), “Danny Sfarim” Publishers, 1996
“How to draw a little Elf”, “Sifriat Poalim” Publishers, 1999-2016
Dick based on the book “How to Draw a Little Elf “, was produced by Computer Systems Ltd. in 2001, and was in computers of pre-school kinder gardens of Israel.
“The Haftaa” (“Surprise”), eBook, ePublish, 2014
Tamar’s Kinder Garden, eBook, ePublish, 2014
Prizes
Photos by Audrius Zavadskis:
