Laya Crust grew up in Winnipeg, Canada and later moved to Toronto. Her eclectic studies are reflected in the art she produces. As well as studying design at the University of Manitoba and printmaking at Ontario College of Art, Laya has done landscape drawing in North America and Israel, and studied calligraphic techniques with Donald Jackson, Reggie Ezell, and Leona Faye. She has pursued studies of Jewish text in Canada and Israel with such teachers as Aviva Zorenberg, Rabbi Benjamin Hecht, Rachel Turkienicz and Ari Kahn. 

Much of Laya’s work utilizes paint and calligraphy. However her creations are as diverse as her ideas. A variety of media including: fabric, glass, clay, and silver have figured in her designs which range from chuppot, and Torah mantles, to hand bound books, wall mosaics, stained glass windows and ketuboth. 

Laya’s work has been commissioned by hundreds of individuals, companies and philanthropic organizations. Her work hangs in homes, offices and buildings throughout the world. A collaborative window design has been installed in the Union of Reform Judaism in Manhattan, N.Y. A glass wall mosaic is in a home in Jerusalem and her Torah mantles are in synagogues in the United States and Canada. Each piece designed and crafted by Laya reflects her love of life, nature, and spirituality. 

Laya and her husband Les Lightstone live in Toronto and have six children.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

As we journey through a day the things we see, hear, touch, taste, smell and feel change from moment to moment and we are altered. We can be elevated by the beauty around us or put into despair because of the pain, suffering and destruction around us. But the most important thing is to be aware and receptive to the nature, humanity and the creations around us.  

What I try to do through my art is to touch people’s minds and emotions. When I design a piece, I try to find the source and soul of the work. I love to research the background of a piece and introduce images that connect the theme with history, geography, and spirituality. 

Whether working on a ketubah, painting designs for a 5’ x 6’ window, interpreting a story from the bible, or designing a fundraising piece, I work to uncover the essence of the message. In that way I can talk to the soul of the viewer.