As an art teacher for two decades, Limor Dekel fell in love with being a student.
“I experimented with so many different media because I had to teach it,” says the artist whose dynamic portfolio reflects that diversity. Her expressive portraits of famous musicians include Springsteen, Little Richard and Tina Turner. Browse her figurative collection to feel how intuitively she combines movement and energy. She’s explored everything from fantasy to floral on her easel and through her newest medium, recycled corrugated cardboard, she transforms discarded materials into layered sculptures that are both thoughtful and fun.
Growing up in Israel, Limor felt free to experience her native country’s earthiness, living within a few minutes from the Mediterranean Sea. “I was close to nature and able to walk and see places and touch the sand. I’m a very tactile and textured type of person. I grew up jumping in puddles and getting dirty and having campfires by the ocean.”
As a high school student, Limor had to choose between two passions — dance vs. visual arts. At one time she dreamed of The Royal Ballet, but she was also a budding artist. Both required extensive time commitments, but unlike art, dancing took a physical toll on her body.
“The point was just too painful,” she said, referring to the classical ballet technique that requires the foot to fully extend to support all body weight.
That gave the edge to art, and she’s never looked back.
The daughter of two creative parents studied ceramic design in college in Jerusalem, where she remained for two years until marriage moved her to the United States. Living in Crofton, Maryland, Limor opened a pottery studio and began showing her work.
“I still have my kiln even though I haven’t plugged it in for decades,” she says.
A second marriage and raising two children changed her direction. Limor began teaching arts in the Montgomery County School System, becoming certified in K-12 in Maryland.
“I got exposed to so many different types of art by teaching. I experimented with so many different media during the summers.”
Limor began snapping photos of her husband, Don, and his rock band for a photography course. That motivated her to do a series of portraits of each band member. During the pandemic, she decided to gift Don with a portrait of his favorite musician, The Boss, and that inspired her portrait series of musicians.
“Then I started doing faces on cardboard,” she says. “It’s like magic to me; I don’t know how it comes together. I tear up the pieces and use different types of cardboard and add copper and silver leaf to emphasize certain parts.”
A donated collection of old wooden frames prompted her to develop a series of sculptures called Frames of Mind. “I used the frames to structure, both physically and metaphorically, the facial expressions and moods that I created with the cardboard,” she says.
Limor’s childhood relationships with nature laid the foundation for her current concerns for environmental preservation. “I love repurposing materials and objects into my art,” she says. “It’s wonderful to turn trash into something beautiful.”
Limor embraces the spontaneity of art and revels in showing movement on canvas, something that comes naturally to the former dancer. “When I paint people moving, I get into the body and feel where the stress points are,” she says. “I look for a specific movement, a twist, for example, and try to capture that dynamic.”
She also favors dog portraits and regularly accepts commissions.
Her entire basement is her studio where Limor spends most of her time these days, though she’s planning to return to teaching on an occasional basis. “I like to educate people about the meaning of art in various cultures,” she says. “Art is not just for aesthetic purposes but also an integral part of any culture and humanity as a whole.”
Limor is entering her third year of showing at Rose Squared Arts Shows and plans to exhibit her work at both Verona Park (May 18-19) and Anderson Park (Sept. 21-22) in 2024.
