Notes of Love
Maty Grunberg – Images, Naomi R. Azar

On 2007 I returned to Israel, my homeland, after living most of my life in London. I was a widower.  I met Naomi, a widow from the bourgeois town of Ra'anana, who came to one of my exhibition. We both were in our late decades, life has left its mark on us.
Is love possible? 
A few weeks after our encounter I left for a long summer vacation in London.
What shall I do? Asked Naomi.
Write, I said, write a diary.
Autumn I came back. It was (2010) New Year's evening. I read what Naomi has written. When I finished reading I turned to her and said: my drawings have been waiting for those texts for the last 30 years.
What are you talking about? She was surprised, this is just a small diary, between us.
Don't you understand? I asked. Don't you understand a man is waiting his whole life for such a love letter.
I took Naomi's texts, put them next to my drawings, and prepared our first artist book – "Writing the month of August for you (2010)". When Naomi saw the book, she cried. This is life's gift of compassion to us, she said, because we held on and did not give in to despair.
Following the first book came two artist books – "The remains of the Logical Woman" and "The Artist and the Bourgois Woman".
The three artist books were combined into a special book – "Noted of Love" – which contains extracts from Naomi R. Azar diary written between 2010 – 2015, combined with colour sketches, created by me in London between 1970 – 1990.
This book follows our good love story.
And as it happens, an intimate text or sketch that was not meant to see the light of day, preserves its primary authenticity nature and touches others.
Maty G. Bat Yam, 2016