Malcah Zeldis facts for kids

Malcah Zeldis (born Mildred Brightman; September 22, 1931) is an American folk painter. She is known for her art that mixes stories from the Bible, history, and her own life.

Life and Art Journey

Growing Up in Detroit

Malcah Zeldis was born in the Bronx, New York. She grew up in a Jewish neighborhood in Detroit, Michigan. Her family was poor, and her father faced challenges finding work because of his religion. Eventually, they moved to a middle-class area.

Zeldis remembers her years in Detroit fondly. She especially loved nature. She also remembers visiting the Detroit Institute of Arts on weekends. There, she was amazed by the bright colors and small figures in Flemish paintings. These paintings later inspired her own colorful works with many small figures.

Time in Israel

As a young adult, Zeldis felt a bit disconnected from her Jewish heritage. She wanted to learn more about it. So, in 1949, at age eighteen, she moved to Israel. She became a Zionist and worked on a kibbutz, which is a type of community farm.

While in Israel, Zeldis met her future husband, Hiram Zeldis. They returned to the US to get married, then went back to the kibbutz. Zeldis started painting, but she wasn't very confident in her art.

However, a famous Israeli artist named Aaron Giladi visited the kibbutz. He saw Zeldis's paintings and praised them. Zeldis was so excited by his compliments and his request for two of her paintings. She later said, "I lost my voice from excitement." Giladi also gave her some helpful advice: he suggested she try painting on larger canvases. This idea made Zeldis a bit nervous. After trying and not succeeding with bigger canvases, she stopped painting for a while. This break lasted even longer after she had children and moved permanently to Brooklyn, New York.

Painting in Brooklyn

Zeldis finally started painting again twenty-three years later. By then, her children were older, and her marriage had ended. In 1970, she enrolled at Brooklyn College to study Early Childhood Studies. The college had a policy that allowed students to submit their life experiences for credit. Zeldis decided to submit her paintings, even though she still worried if they were good enough.

To her surprise, her paintings were very well received! Her teacher showed her work to an art critic, who then suggested she show her art to galleries. This was a big moment for Zeldis. She realized that not having formal art training was not a problem in the art world. Around this time, she saw Haitian folk art in a gallery. She noticed that Haitian folk art looked very similar to her own style. This made her truly believe that she was an artist.

Zeldis began painting seriously and had many gallery shows. Her work also appeared in books like International Dictionary of Naive Art. She later worked with her daughter, Yona Zeldis, to illustrate several children's books.

Painting Style

Malcah Zeldis's paintings have a unique style. They often look flat, and the figures might not have perfect proportions. Her works are known for their bright, "explosive" colors. They often have busy compositions with many clear, distinct figures.

Zeldis's art often includes everyday objects, which helps viewers connect to reality. But then she adds surprising subjects like presidents, famous women, and characters from the Bible. Her imaginative images tell stories and try to share a narrative.

After recovering from a health challenge in 1986, Zeldis was too weak to lift the heavy masonite boards she usually used. Instead, she started painting on corrugated cardboard she found on the street.

Children's Book Illustration

Malcah Zeldis worked with her daughter, Yona Zeldis, to create and illustrate several children's books. Yona shared that her mother really wanted to do a children's book together. Even though Yona was hesitant at first, her mother kept encouraging her and even brought her a contract.

Together, Zeldis and her daughter have written and illustrated books such as Eve and Her Sisters: Women of the Old Testament, God Sent a Rainbow and Other Bible Stories, Anne Frank, and Sisters in Strength: American Women Who Made a Difference. Malcah Zeldis has also illustrated Honest Abe and Martin Luther King.