Malka Schallheim

Malka Schallheim, originally of Long Island, and has been drawing for almost as long as she can remember. “I carried a pencil and drawing pad with me wherever I went. I sketched in subway stations, in the cafeteria, in the doctor’s waiting room…” After high school she studied art for a year in Boston and then a second year at Pratt Institute in New York.

On a whim she decided to visit and draw in Israel, and soon found herself in a religious seminary and then caught up married and having children. Only two decades later, after much soul searching, did she return to art, refining her technique under various Jerusalem artists.

Today Malka Schallheim paints and teaches in her studio in Jerusalem’s Ramot neighborhood. Her paintings are on display at two local galleries.

The Old City

“Jerusalem inspires me with its landscape, architecture, and unique blend of old and new. Perhaps by capturing in paint the beauty of Jerusalem I can help others connect with the holiness of this very special city.”

Prayer in Solitude

“When looking for a subject I first try to find something that interests me – it may be its color, light and shadow, composition, or mood. Then I try to put down in paint those artistic elements that caught my eye.”

Boy With Pomegranate Tree

“I don’t like to limit myself to any particular subject or style – I like to explore new possibilities. Art should be a constant series of discoveries, not repetitions.”

Fall in Jerusalem

“The magical beauty of this corner was a wonderful discovery…and with the addition of my five-year-old son, it became a delightful scene.”

Study Session

Inauguration of a Sefer Torah

“When I looked at the photos I’d taken, I realized that the participants, and even the Jerusalem stone buildings, had all taken on the color of the light.”

The Nachlaot Neighborhood of Jerusalem

Ramot Forest

“Even the trees of Jerusalem seem to have souls.”

The Jewish Quarter of the Old City

View from Ramot of the Tomb of Samuel the Prophet

Jerusalem Dispatch visitors who would like to inquire about purchasing one of Malka Schallheim’s paintings can contact her here.