On the recent Temple Emanu-El trip to Israel, May 29-June 9, Howard Salmon recorded his impressions in watercolors rather than traditional camera snapshots. "I did this in order to slow down, to linger on a subject, and to absorb some of its character. I had to quickly study a person or a place, and then to sum up the essence in a few lines and strokes," says Salmon. The resulting paintings and drawings, "Israel in Watercolor," are on display in Temple Emanu-El's Carol Gordon First Gallery through Oct. 30. 

Due to the fast-paced nature of the tour, says Salmon, he often "scribbled down" his most immediate responses. "Masada became a series of squiggly lines and cross-hatchings.  Ben Yehuda Street at night became scribbles and dots and lines," he says. "Only rarely did I have the luxury to have the subject matter not move, such as when I sketched the parked tour bus or painted the scene outside my hotel window." 

Sitting at an outdoor cafe in Jerusalem's Old City on June 6, Jerusalem Day, Salmon was mobbed by teenagers who wanted their pictures drawn. He sketched teen after teen until he had to leave to meet the tour group.

"Israel and its people are fascinating and beautiful," he says. "I've never experienced anything like it and felt homesick when I came back to Tucson. But these watercolor snapshots help me relive that fabulous week."

Salmon plans to publish a keepsake book of the images in the show. Limited edition prints of the paintings are currently available through his website, howardsalmon.com.