Orit Hofshi (Cert. '90) began working at Mishkan Omanim (The Artist’s Studio) in Herzliya, Israel, following a decade of studying, working and exhibiting in the U.S. Orit, who received her MA in Arts from Leeds University, first studied in the Wizo College of Design in Israel. Upon graduating, she continued her studies at PAFA, where she majored in painting and printmaking.

“I feel the impact of the PAFA experience on my growth as an artist transcends the obvious: sharpening skills, acquiring tools and learning a great deal from lectures and discussions,” states Hofshi. “I think it was after the second year at PAFA, when I realized that my artwork and ongoing research were a way of life and part of me, and not just a mode of expression. I understood both my personal circumstances and the wide array of local and international events are inherent in my creative process.”

Since the mid-1990s, Hofshi has focused on works on paper, installations and woodcutting as her primary media, exploring the relationship between the artist, topographical patterns and her perception of the environment and man. The artist’s life exemplifies “the continuation of my personal journey, which began at PAFA a couple decades ago.” In 2010 she worked with the PAFA museum team, exhibiting in Philagrafika: The Graphic Unconscious.

“Working in Israel, a particularly politically charged region, is very difficult but my awareness is borderless,” says Hofshi. “Preoccupied with the current and past socio-political realities, I do not rely only on my immediate experience or surroundings, but am obsessively aware of the broader human circumstances at a given time.”