An Interview with Einat Lev Ari: Mixed Media Artist & Best Professional Artist 2024 of the VAA’s Artist of the Year Awards
Einat Lev Ari – Artist Feature – VAA Member of the Month March 2025
Einat Lev Ari is an Israeli Artist, who began her artistic career with Interior Design Studios where she worked as a designer for 26 years. She has studied art since 1984, first by joining the studio of Artist Yoav Shu’ali, followed by studying at Midrasha School of Art and shadowing some of Israel’s leading sculptors.
Einat’s education didn’t stop there, continuing with a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and Management for the Open University, and a Master’s in Art Therapy. Alongside running a therapy clinic, Einat is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in Multidisciplinary Art.
Using a variety of materials and techniques, Einat’s artwork is intertwined with a deep connection to psychology, often expressing the interface between psyche and art. The content of her work often deals with “here and now” experiences – emotions, psychological states, tensions and uncertainties that characterize contemporary life.
“I strive to create art that reflects and contains, but also helps, bridges and heals – both on a personal and social level.”
Artistic success is a broad recognition of my art, alongside continuing to learn and deepen my creative process. Through constant learning and personal development, I can enrich my artistic language and influence. This past year has been especially challenging, I have dedicated myself to helping people affected by trauma and anxiety and processing these experiences through my art.
I have recently receive significant recognition through the numerous calls for art around the world that I have submitted my work. From the AVV, I received Artist of the Year 2024, my work has been exhibited at the Jerusalem Biennale and I was recognised as an artists at the Luxembourg Museum.
I am proud that I have never abandoned art, despite all the challenges along the way. I have continued to learn and experiment with new media including watercolour painting, fashion design, printmaking and more. Moving forward, I aspire to expand my work into new media, expose my art to the world, and continue to grow and make an impact through creation.
How do you define artistic success? What achievements are you most proud of? What are your current goals?
What is your creative process? What are your artistic challenges?
Whenver I receive an assignment from school, my creative process begins with a “storm of thoughts” – a flood of emotions, associations, images and connections. I quickly gain clarity on the message I want to convey. I always like to enrich my understand so often I’ll seek additional information such as quotes, historical events or textual materials, to help deepen my idea. Choosing the right way to express my message is also important – considering structure, media, form, colour and technique. I create initial sketches followed by more detailed sketches that include the necessary materials and colours.
When I create for myself, the process is different. I struggle with the right direction to go as I have multiple ideas, I always choose the idea that resonates most deeply with me. Once my direction is set, I gather materials and begin working in phases and always step back for reflection before returning to refine my creation. My cycle will continue for days until I feel that the final piece accurately reflects my intentions.
I have always been involved in art and recently began studying formal art, but finances are challenging as a single mother raising four children. However, I ultimately succeed in realising my dream and began studying art at Shenkar University, which was a significant milestone for me. I now find that my main challenge is the English Language, I have difficulty learning languages and have been diagnosed with ADHD, which makes both learning and daily use of English challenging. I see this as my greatest obstacle, but I refuse to give up and continue to tackle it despite the difficulty.
“In the end, my life is mostly devoted to art – whether through learning, work or personal creation.”
Winning Best Professional Artist in the Artist of the Year Awards 2024 was a particularly emotional moment for me. The work I submitted called “October 7th” dealt with the terrible experience we had, and the award gave me a sense of support and recognition. It has strengthened me to continue believing in my path and my art, and what I truly bring to it. This award was not only a personal achievement but also a true reinforcement for my continuity and growth as an artist and a person.
How has the VAA helped you on your journey so far?
What would you say to the artist that you were a year ago?
Overall, I am satisfied with my path. The last year has been a very emotionally intense period, and I knew I was going through great challenges, but I didn’t give up on myself. I work very hard, try to invest in my assignments in the most thoughtful creative way, and I am very pleased with the results so far.
I want to tell the artist I was a year ago – that the path is not always easy, but perseverance, investment and focusing on the inner voice can bring great results. I encourage the artist to continue creating without fear of failure.