Art in the Gallery: Phyllis M. Baker z”l

Phyllis M. Baker

Phyllis M. Baker z”l

The Baker Family is honored to present a special one-woman show of the work  of Phyllis M. Baker z”l (b.1930, d.2000) in connection with the Bar Mitzvah of Elijah Phillip Baker, Phyllis’ grandson. She would have been so proud of Elijah and his sister Madeleine! Although Phyllis cannot be here with us in person, we know she is with us in spirit.

The work displayed in the gallery offers just a glimpse into the vibrant, original vision of New Jersey artist Phyllis M. Baker. Over a career spanning six decades, Baker created an enormous catalog of drawings, paintings, monoprints and etchings, exhibiting on both the east and west coasts. Although she dealt with a wide range of subject matter, she was particularly compelled by the beauty of the human body. During her lifetime, she won attention and accolades for her sensitive treatment of nudes. Her prints hang in private collections in California, New Jersey and Florida.

The Wall, Pen and Ink Drawing

Baker was born in Maplewood in 1930, married Howard in 1956, raised three daughters (Alisa, Susanna and Eve) in Verona, and died – much too soon — in 2000. She attended NYC’s Parsons School of Design and later studied printmaking at the Montclair Museum of Art and the New Jersey School of Visual Art. She was a founding member of Cat’s Paw Studio in Montclair.

Canyon, Monotype

Canyon, Monotype

Phyllis Baker’s artistic talent was prodigious, and not limited to works on paper. She was an expert seamstress. She was a culinary master who could throw a (kosher!) dinner party for twelve without blinking an eye. She played a mean folk guitar. She loved opera, Mozart, literature . . . and science fiction. She was a devoted wife and mother, filling her home with warmth and beauty. She had an open mind that could surprise – and delight – anyone lucky enough to know her.

Untitled (Clown), Etching

Untitled (Clown), Etching

And Phyllis was a woman who made a huge difference to the world around her. She called herself “a professional volunteer” and no place benefited more from her generous heart than Temple Shomrei Emunah. Along with Howard, she could always be counted on by this community – happy to say yes to service, whether as president of Sisterhood or as clean-up crew for Oneg Shabbat. She worshipped here, she studied Torah here, she saw all three daughters Bat Mitzvah-ed here. She cared about the Shomrei Emunah congregation – and it cared about her — for nearly forty years. She would be delighted to see her work hanging on these walls today.

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