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My girlfriend and I landed in the Dominican Republic in the beginning of 2002. Although it was our first visit to the Island, we were quite determined to make it our home. We left our baggage in Santo Domingo, the…
“What happened?” I asked John, who approached me smiling and shook my hand. The pastor from the neighboring crematory was screaming in Spanish in the background, while we both looked at the two police patrol cars that parked in front…
Astaldo, which means the valiant in Elvish, is a character invented by Tolkien. When my girlfriend, Limor, was reading ‘Silmarillion’ by Tolkien, she named herself ‘Nessa’ and gave me the name ‘Astaldo’. In 2001 I traveled to Miami and lived by…
Nobody really knows who Jean Gler was. Where? when? and who invented the myth? The ‘legend’ is about an elegant, somewhat secretive gentleman, often associated with style, quality, luxury and clearly beautiful ladies.When you taste an exquisite Whiskey, you can declare:…
If you ever consider to be a homeless, some of Hawaii’s islands offer great value.On my US trip in 1999, after NY, Los Angeles and San Francisco, I was left with only $200 and wanted to squeeze every drop of it. Then,…
Whenever I’m asked: “What’s your favorite place in Israel?” I answer: “…well, it’s not exactly in Israel, but my favorite place is Sinai.”Sometime around 1998, towards the end of my degree and on top of that, some financial stress in…
The spiritual journey of an artist never ends. However, during a specific period in my life (1998-1999) I was actively searching for a meaning, the truth, and for my own destiny. That’s why I named this period as “The Search”. Back…
My girlfriend and I broke up. That legendary true love had crashed us. Our fantasies and expectations did not withstand the daily realities and we were fighting over the tiniest issues such as washing dishes. Although we truly loved each…
The Almogan Art Gallery was founded by my girlfriend Limor and I, in Rishpon village in Israel.In February 1997, after a few months of renovations and preparations, we officially opened the gates of the gallery to the public. We exhibited…
My life was great. I just began painting with oil colors and felt great about it, and my girlfriend and I got back together and walked around with that stupid ‘Lovy Dovy’ expression. But then bad luck struck.I had a…
When I returned to Israel after my life changing trip to South America, my girlfriend and I got back together. We were deeply in love, however, as a result of a serious disagreement, we broke up.I suffered severe love pains…
In 1994, long before I’ve realized I’m an artist, I went on my “after the army trip” to South America. After 6 months of wild adventures in Brazil, Argentina, Chile & Peru, I arrived at Vilcabamba, a small village in…
Dear Friends,I would like to thank you all for being my loyal audience, and the motivation for my writings.In the past two years I lost both my loving mother and father.In these challenging times, art has always been there for…
While it seems like just another day of my journey, to me it is a noteworthy one. I will keep on walking and painting, however today I stop writing, and this post will be the last one in the current…
Initially, I wanted to dedicate this post to my old dear friend: The Night. However, quite soon after I began writing, I found myself describing the influence of astral projection (out of body experience) and lucid dreams, on my work.I…
What an amazing human phenomenon carnivals are. People who have nothing in common gather to celebrate, and together they form the shape, movement, rhythm, and character of each carnival. Carnivals tend to be joyful, vibrant, colorful, loud, and crazy.The Carnival…
I have always been emotionally attached to my art supply scrap and leftovers, which I never have the heart to throw away. I usually hoard them and later on, I utilize them in creating a variety of mixed media works….
People who live according to their society rules, gladly walk the road which was paved for them, however, individuals who don’t fit into this structure, need to make their own path.I chose a Spanish phrase as the title of this…
I walked through the pastoral garden of that mental health institute. The guard checked my ID and asked for the purpose of my visit. “I’m visiting a friend” I told him. Although we weren’t really friends, we had good chemistry…
The underwater universe in Eilat, at the Red Sea, is an infinite inspiration for me and it is never enough. The sophisticated structures, the color compositions, the camouflage and coloring techniques of the thousands of underwater creatures, are a dream…
We waited until our baby girl completed 3 months of age, then we packed and traveled south to Eilat, our favorite place in Israel. Nothing compares to spending time with my gang; my girlfriend, our son and daughter, and myself….
What’s wrong with green, yellow or blue?I truly love all colors, without any exception, and obviously, I love pink very much.Being a father to a baby girl, I’ve seen a lot of pink since she was born, especially in her…
The natural birth of my daughter was, by all means, the most powerful event I had ever witnessed. It was such a deep experience, as if a hand came out of my heart and pulled me down to the innermost…
It’s awesome to see your vision turns into reality, but sometimes it does not.Everyone knows that commodities prices are volatile. Due to growing global demand for chocolate, and forecasts of shortages in production in the future, Cocoa prices climbed higher…
Recognizing a process of a personal change I am going through, usually triggers in me an urge to invent a new identity. Through a new identity, I find it easier to adjust to the new reality, to express my excitement…
Being sick in paradise truly feels like hell.I came back to visit my beloved Dominican Republic. I was flooded with happy memories, surrounded by lush green hills, and a magnificent turquoise ocean, when towards the end of my trip I began to…
Some people radiate. Their light is not the physical light that is spread by objects such as the sun, bulbs or fireflies, but rather a spiritual light that emanates from the depth of their soul. These people can be any…
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up” – Pablo Picasso.When I was a child, I wasn’t an artist. I had an amazing childhood in Israel, which gave me the confidence…
Perhaps the most basic technique to enter a meditative state is to focus your attention on your breathing, and that’s why Free-diving is inherently meditative. Free-divers exercise breathing before and after they dive, and during diving they hold their breath until they resurface.When diving…
Do you ever imagine yourself in a perfect universe? Is there anything in this world that keeps impressing and inspiring you time after time?In 2013, being back in Israel, I found myself complaining a lot, mainly because I kept comparing…
A few years ago, my artist sister, Carmit, concluded that she must sometimes escape the rush of the center of Israel. She found a haven in the north of Israel, in the old city of Acre (Acco/Akko in Hebrew), where…
Nothing in life compares to the wonder of becoming a parent. It was the single most empowering, inspiring and gratifying event that I experienced as a human being.In July 2013 my girlfriend and I became parents to an amazing baby boy….
In this crazy adventure called life I’ve seen many ups and downs. However, the wildest emotional swings I experienced arrived in the summer of 2013 in Israel, when my girlfriend was hospitalized in the department for high risk pregnancy for…
It is challenging to discuss the essence of prayer without delving into an exhausting philosophical debate. I aim to live a conscious life full of meaning, but at the same time, I realize how tiny I am, and how insignificant…
When I lived in Las-Terrenas I used to wake up with sunrise and go straight for a walk on the beach. Before the day even began, I already had my dose of silence and beauty. When the ocean was calm,…
As an artist, I can legitimately choose to extend a reality which ended, and felt like a dream come true.Terrenero is someone who resides in, or whose origins are from Las-Terrenas, once a picturesque fishermen’s village, and now a touristic upbeat…
It’s hard to believe, and feels strange for me to say, that my girlfriend and I will soon celebrate 26 years of living happily together. Obviously, we had our ups and downs, but in the first 15 years we were…
Looking back at negative occurrences, which ended up positively, 20 years later and say “How wonderful that they happened”, is no brainer.The challenge is to recognize the positive potential outcome of such occurrences as they happen, and to act in…
Life is unpredictable. I never imagined that I will establish a foundation for children in the Dominican Republic, and that I will become so deeply involved with other people’s life.In 2010, after approximately two years of operating “Fundacion Marlee-Jo”, we…
I entered the reef with sunrise that morning, near our house in Las-Terrenas, Dominican Republic. The water was calm and warm, like a huge swimming pool in paradise. On such days, spearfishing was not a struggle at all, but rather…
In my dream, I woke up on a remote tropical island, all by myself.It was an amazing creation of God; Turquoise water, white sand beaches, and coconut trees all around.I immersed myself in the harmonious nature, and surrendered myself to…
Dealing with sad themes does not come naturally to me. Learning so much Jewish history since childhood, almost diminished my tolerance to tragedies, and while I’m very much aware of the sad side of life, I usually try to look at…
My maturity as an artist is not about my skill level, the beauty of my work, or its sophistication. It is more about me being in peace with my work; knowing what I do and why I do it, expressing…
I was born in Israel and will always be Israeli, however, at some point in 2009 I felt completely Dominican. After 7 years of living in the Dominican Republic: speaking Dominican Spanish, eating Platanos and Mondongo, drinking Brugal and Presidente,…
While I consider myself a self taught artist because indeed I taught myself painting, I did learn how to work with clay from a very special Dominican artist called Jesus Guillen, who became my friend and to whom I dedicate…
Throughout the years, I have heard several folk tales of a king in disguise touring his kingdom. I think that the first version I heard as a child was part of the One thousand and one nights stories. The king…
Will you walk a steep muddy trail in order to explore a place you’ve never seen or heard about before? Are explorers driven by simple curiosity? Or do they always hope to find something incredible, shocking or inspiring?One Satuday morning, I…
In memory of Marlee-Jo Jacobson. In the summer of 2001, after establishing HCML (Hirsch Capital Mgmt), in order to pursue my interest in commodities trading , I visited NYC in search for commodities experts. A web search lead me to…
In our dreams and fantasies we can be and do anything we want; Fly like an Eagle, Swim like a Dolphin etc. But in reality, we are limited by our physical capabilities, so we take comfort in our limitless imagination.Influenced by…
Siesta time is one of the sacred rituals in the countryside of the Dominican Republic. Everyone; Men, women, children and elders take a break after lunch. Alone, or together with family and friends. On the side of the road, in…
The first thing that most Arabs and Israelis will agree on is how to make a great salad. Believe it or not, but Arabic Salad and Israeli Salad are actually the same. (In case you wonder, this post is not…
“So…your girlfriend dumped you?” (“Tu novia te boto?) Everybody in Las-Terrenas kept asking me the same question for a very long time, not even hiding their teasing tone, or caring about my explanations that she was urgently called back to…
They were one of the ugliest couples I had ever seen. They had frightful faces, hideous bodies and very unpleasant voices. They even fed each other greasy disgusting junk food that had a terrible odor. They were kissing, and licking each…
