When the events of Oct. 7, 2023 unfolded, Essie Perlmutter’s initial response was to find a way to head to Israel to help in any way she could.
“I’ve been to Israel many, many times,” says Perlmutter. “I’d like to help out, but at my age, I couldn’t make the trip to help.
“Listening to the news and thinking of the hostages, and then thinking of our good life here . . . ”
Perlmutter’s voice trailed, only for a moment.
“ . . . thinking about what’s still happening in Israel, and really around the world, and how those people have been giving up their youngsters to keep up our Judaism alive.”
On the brink of turning 90, with a demanding trip to Israel no longer an option, Perlmutter turned to a trusted avocation to express her emotions over those who initially lost their lives in the Hamas invasion.
She painted.
Perlmutter’s latest work, “May They Shine On Us And Illuminate The Way,” is an abstract that depicts the pain, suffering and loss of lives in the Hamas attacks.
She began the painting earlier this year, and completed it in time for the one-year anniversary of the terrorist invasion.
The piece features a group of tiny seedlings, each commemorating a victim of the attacks. A teardrop is painted nearby. So is a dove, adding a dash of hope into the message.
“At first, I wondered if I made it too bright or too pretty,” says Perlmutter. “I couldn’t create something that’s not me, not from my heart.”
Perlmutter’s love of art began early. A teacher at Colfax Elementary contacted Essie’s mother and reported that her young student had talents in art. Perlmutter has been hooked ever since.
“My mother started me with private art lessons, and I kept going from there,” says Perlmutter.
Creating art often took a backseat to the rigors of raising a family with her late husband, Jordon. The two were married for 62 years before Jordon’s passing in 2015.
Perlmutter’s works dot her Cherry Creek apartment, and her home studio always has a creation in the making. When Essie turned 65, she took up sculpting, and the studio is full of bronze works amidst her paintings. Her favorite sculpture is of a woman, sunbathing.
“I wanted to try another dimension, and that was challenging,” says Perlmutter.
“It was hit and miss, like everything you do in life. But I pursued it.”
At Perlmutter’s age, there’s one, not so minor difficulty, when creating bronze images.
“They’re very heavy,” she says.
Much of Perlmutter’s artwork has been seen in past shows and in galleries in Colorado. Some of her work has been displayed at HEA, where Perlmutter attends.
Passion and pursuit, in her case, is to satisfy within.
“I didn’t really ever do this to be in business,” says Perlmutter. “I’ve only done my art to get better and to always improve.
“I think the best definition I can say of my work is if it pleases me personally as an artist, I’m happy.”
Somewhat self-depricating, Permutter quickly adds: “Usually, I keep finding something wrong.”
As the phrase goes, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
On the cusp of her 90th birthday in January, Perlmutter wants to celebrate her milestone by sharing her works in public.
“I’ll probably have an art show, I think.”
Until then, Perlmutter gazes outside her apartment overlooking Cherry Creek, with the mountains on the horizon.
“I’m amazed at seeing the city of Denver change and understanding the world as it is,” Perlmutter says.
“I think back to my school days (at Colfax Elementary, Lake Jr. High, North High School, CU, DU and later, at Loretta Heights) and my friends, growing up in Denver, and the challenges of raising kids and wanting to paint and do things that sometimes you put off for a long time.”
Whatever time Essie Perlmutter had to put art on pause, has long been made up. The bronzes may be too heavy to wield these days, and a trip to Israel is too difficult to navigate, but the paint brush is always, always nearby.
Her artistic commemoration of that fateful Oct. 7 is testament that one is never too old for expression.
© IJN 2024
