MASHA KEATING
Cover artist Masha Keating’s work is simply put—
EXQUISITE.
I had the great pleasure to sit with Masha in her Santa Ynez studio recently and as we spoke, my eyes were always drawn back to her pieces: giant florals, sometimes featuring delicately painted living creatures, and a mysterious life force animated by delicate lines that often flow across her works as ribbons of color. Masha and my conversation went to many different places, but we started with a discussion on the “new wild west” for the arts, and that is the NFT — the non-fungible token, which represents a massive potential shift for the collecting of digital art in the future. As we started to discuss this very hard-to-explain topic, Masha stopped us a moment and pointed at one of her pieces — reminding me that it was digital art, created on an iPad and printed on a variety of materials (canvas, metal, glass, and others) to create an absolutely stunning painted effect. I had to pause a moment, as I have never seen digital art so incredibly beautiful. (And on a side note: I encourage you to google NFTs if you are interested — it’s a fascinating and complex subject.) Born in Russia and having moved to the United States when she was 13, Masha describes Judaism as changing her life completely. Most immigrant stories take numerous twists and turns, and Masha’s fascinating story is no different.
44 | SHALOM SANTA BARBARA | 2021–2022
JEWISHSANTABARBARA.ORG
