Art

Item Description

Title & Artist: “Lucky NOOD” by Rickey Schwed

Medium & Size: Oil Painting on Wood; 19" x 8"

Artist Statement: I am an artist. My art captures expression or expresses emotion. I primarily paint portraits in oils, but am comfortable in most any medium. My Cod, Lucky NOOD, is an oil painting depicting my perception of the harbor as viewed from my kayak on race day. Inspired by my love for being on the water and the astrological beliefs of my heritage, since on the Jewish (lunar) calendar my birthday falls on “Rosh Chodesh Adar” or the new moon of the month whose symbol is a fish, “Mazal Adar Dagim.” According to Kaballah, because your soul is in perfect alignment with the universe, your birthday is your lucky day. Adar is also the month for re-aligning the lunar and solar calendars, which is why leap years have two months of Adar fixing what incomplete, a parable to the quest of reaching your own spiritual potential. By purchasing this Cod, one can be lucky and achieve greater levels of self-improvement and happiness, and enjoy the view of a place of reflection that brings me great joy on Marblehead harbor.

Artist Biography: Rickey Schwed was born in Brooklyn, NY into an ultra-orthodox, Hassidic family. Schwed’s childhood home was blighted by intergenerational trauma, a common affliction among families of Holocaust survivors like hers. Raised to speak only Yiddish and afforded only a minimal secular education, Schwed freed herself from her oppressive community at the age of 16 and put herself through college independently, earning an AS from SUNY Rockland Community College, a BS from SUNY New Paltz and a post-baccalaureate degree in art education from Ramapo College. As a young adult, Schwed exhibited her work in New York City, North Jersey, and the lower Hudson Valley. Today, having lived in Marblehead, MA for over a decade, Schwed regularly shows her work on Massachusetts’ North Shore. She was recently profiled on Imagination, a local tv show, and was interviewed on MHTV about her drawing in the New England Regional Exhibit at the Marblehead Arts Association, where she was juried in as an Artist Member. Her recent work has been featured in many local publications, including the Marblehead Reporter, The Lynn Item, and the Jewish Journal. Schwed is particularly interested in portraiture and works primarily in oil paint, pastel, charcoal, and pencil. She prefers drawing and painting from life, challenging herself to capture both a model’s likeness and expression. When she is not making art, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her four children, often riding her bike or kayaking along our beautiful coastline.

Value: $500

Hosting Business: “Lucky NOOD” is on display at Blue Canoe Cafe, 14 School St., Marblehead, MA.

Item Special Note

Pick-up of purchased cods will be on Thursday evening, July 5. Winning bidder will receive a notification email with information on pick-up time and location.

If winning bidder requires shipping, winner's credit card will be charged a separate $24.95 fee to cover USPS ground and handling. Shipping is available within the U.S. only and must be requested within 7 days after receipt of the notification email.

Any cod purchased via "Buy Now" will remain on display at the hosting business through the end of the auction, and will be available for pick-up as detailed in the winning bidder notification email.

If winning bidder has not picked up cod (or provided shipping address) within 30 days after the close of the auction, cod will become the property of Marblehead Festival of Arts, Inc.