Meet Ketubah and Judaica Artist Anna Abramzon

Hi, I’m Anna.

I CREATE SOULFUL, WHIMSICAL ART WITH A JEWISH TWIST

If you’re stopping by my online studio, chances are something magical is in the works. Did you meet the love of your life? Welcoming a baby into your home? Coming up on your 50th wedding anniversary? Let me be the first to wish you a big, hearty Mazel Tov! Whatever the occasion, I am here to help you celebrate the important passages of life with meaningful art that will forever remind you of this special moment.

My paintings capture the spirit and beauty of traditional motifs, while combining them with a fresh, contemporary perspective.



PLANNING A WEDDING IS A REALLY BIG DEAL. I GET IT... I WAS THERE

Choosing your ketubah is one of the most important decisions you will make as an engaged couple --- because let’s be honest, it is one of the few things that will stay with you long after the wedding day. This is why I offer a wide selection of designs, all kinds of ketubah texts (including Interfaith, Reform, Conservative, Humanist, Orthodox and same-sex versions of all modern texts), and an “a la carte” approach to options and pricing.

So, whether you want a hand-painted ketubah with papercut and liquid gold, or you are on a tight budget but still want your ketubah to be a show-stopper, I am here to hold your hand and be your partner through this process.

I will personally make sure that ordering your ketubah is the most fun, easy, and meaningful part of wedding planning.



Giving Back

My favorite Jewish value is "Tikkun Olam" -- repairing the world and making it a better place. Here in my studio, we are deeply committed to this concept and here is how we give back.

In 2017, we were living in Houston, Texas when Hurricane Harvey struck. We had to evacuate our kids on kayaks when the flood waters were about to enter our home. Luckily for us, the rain let up at the last second and the water receded just enough to spare our house. Most of our friends were not so lucky.

After the hurricane, we packed up and moved to Marin County, just north of San Francisco, to be closer to our extended family. Unfortunately, we arrived just in time for the North Bay fires, which destroyed hundreds of homes in Sonoma and Napa counties, our close neighbors. Now we have relocated to Los Angeles, where wildfires are also more prevalent and destructive than ever before. 

In the aftermath of these disasters, I got to thinking about how I could help. I decided to offer to replace ketubahs for anyone who lost theirs in any recent natural disaster. To this day, I have replaced ketubahs for folks in 4 cities, in 3 states and I am still going. 

If you know of anyone who lost their ketubah in a catastrophe, please put them in touch with me. It gives me so much joy to be able to help our community in this meaningful and unique way. 




The Story

IT ALL STARTED WITH A LOVE STORY


I was fresh out of art school when I moved to beautiful, mysterious Jerusalem, Israel in search of adventure and inspiration --- and to everyone’s surprise I very quickly met someone who would inspire me for the rest of my life: Patricio. And when I say quickly, I mean quickly --- we got engaged 6 days after I arrived! My parents almost had heart attacks.

When we started planning our Big Fat Jewish Wedding, I was a bit overwhelmed. The more we dove into the customs and rituals, the more there was to learn.

While we found it all fascinating, not everything we learned fit our point of view and values. It was our first lesson in building our modern Jewish family: a Jewish wedding was something that we would have to shape, mold and make our own.

When it came time for our ketubah (traditional Jewish marital contract), it was important to us that both the art and the text was something we could fully stand behind and proudly display in our home for the rest of our lives.

Naturally, we decided to write our own text and of course I just had to paint it myself. Our ketubah was the first piece of Judaica I ever created. I didn’t come from a background of creating “Jewish art." I was a realist figurative portrait painter – at the time I was busy showing big figurative paintings in galleries.

But when the inspiration of my mystical new surroundings combined with our whirlwind romance, the colors practically jumped off my paintbrush and into an emotional, vibrant painting whose power surprised me.

After our wedding, friends and friends of friends started asking me to make ketubahs and wedding invitations for them.

And that’s how my art studio was born....



The Team

ANNA

I spend most of my days highly caffeinated and covered in paint. Sometimes I forget to brush my hair for days at a time. I work one on one with you to make sure your art is perfect just how you want it.

Other fun facts:

  • I was born in a country that doesn’t exist anymore
  • I have a BFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (aka SAIC) where I majored in drawing and painting.
  • Since getting married, Patricio and I have lived in 2 countries, 3 states, 5 cities, and 8 homes. We are going to settle down soon (we think, maybe).
  • I have now shipped my art to customers on 6 continents (someone pinch me!)

PATRICIO

Patricio spends his days saving the world and his nights editing Hebrew texts for ketubahs.

Other fun facts:

  • Patricio speaks 3 languages fluently and one more a little less fluently
  • He plays guitar and piano and likes to draw comics and political cartoons
  • He was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and it instilled in him a love of Tango, Romance and Asado.

ALMA

Alma is our oldest daughter. Her primary role in our business is to give many, many opinions on all new art.

Other fun facts:

  • Alma is in seventh grade and is preparing for her Bat Mitzvah!
  • She was born in Israel
  • She loves singing, reading, writing, and drawing

SURI

Suri is our youngest daughter. Her main job in the studio is to distract mommy as much as possible while she tries to work.

Other fun facts:

  • Suri is eight years old
  • She was born in Texas
  • She loves painting, playing pretend, and snuggling. She also has "eagle eyes" which she can turn on and use to find anything anyone in our house loses.


All the times we woo-hoo'd!

February 2010

I get my very first ketubah order online from someone I don’t know! It’s a wooohooo heard around the world (or definitely my neighborhood)

February-March 2015

My solo exhibit Modern Ketubah Art: A Contemporary Twist on a Timeless Tradition featuring 24 of my original ketubahs opens in Houston, Texas

June 2015

Two ketubahs are selected to participate in a group show on Jewish weddings in Hartford, Connecticut

April-May 2016

Modern Ketubah Art: A Contemporary Twist on a Timeless Tradition opens in Miami Beach, Florida and I am invited there to give an artist talk.

June 2016

Modern Ketubah Art: A Contemporary Twist on a Timeless Tradition opens in St. Paul, Minnesota and is covered in the American Jewish World News

August 2016

I am selected by Intuit QuickBooks to work with an amazing financial advisor. She whips my business finances into shape so much that.....

April 2017

I muster all my bravery and strength and finally quit my day job to live my dream of being a full-time working artist! WOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOO!

July 2017

I have another solo exhibit in Houston! This time featuring all different paintings ranging from portraits, to ketubahs, to other Judaica. It is called Anna Abramzon: Life Cycle

November 2017

Intuit invites me to present at their QuickBooks Connect conference in San Jose, California, to speak about my journey to build my business and quit my day job. Other speakers at the conference included Tyra Banks and Shonda Rhimes (can’t make this stuff up).

December 2018

My studio is chosen as a 2019 Best of Weddings Pic by The Knot