LISA MISHLER

A study in contrasts

Mishler, an accomplished painter and a teacher at The Drawing School in Tucson, did the world a favor in producing books in 2015 and 2016 that pay tribute to her parents, who were holocaust survivors and heroes. The books, the results of a seven-year project that was very much a personal journey, are in holocaust museums in Washington, D.C., and Jerusalem.

THE PAST The first book, L’Chayim - To Life, features Mishler’s paintings that express her father’s story about the holocaust as well as reflections from Rabbi Stephanie Aaron. In the second book, Zalman Ber, Mishler writes a complete story about her parents that required a deep dive into painful truth.

That’s another contrast worth noting. For Mishler, painting is typically a joyful experience. That’s why she loves it; that’s why she loves to teach it.

“The feeling I have when I start painting: You’re in a rhythm; you’re in the now, you’re in the present,” Mishler says. “Once you get there, that’s the feeling you want to continue to have. It doesn’t go away. It’s a joyous thing and to be able to help facilitate that is very gratifying.”

In the art classes she teaches, Mishler tells students to empty their minds and paint from the gut. That is the exact opposite approach she took to her book project. It was all about the transference of what was so heavy on her mind.

THE PRESENT Mishler has hopes for a movie or docudrama based on the books, but there’s no rush. The work is timeless. That’s good. Her parents’ ordeal is as fresh as today’s headlines. That’s bad.

“Unfortunately, their story is happening right now, all over the world,” Mishler says. “It’s so politically relevant. There is so much hatred coming out. I don’t know what more of a wake-up call we need.”

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