Boaz Vaadia recently dedicated his new book to his parents, and says how much their support and encouragement meant to him as a youth struggling with dyslexia. They gave him the creative freedom to express himself in a medium outside of language, and the confidence to approach his art with the knowledge that he could contribute something profound. As his father coaxed vegetables out of the ground, so too did the young Vaadia coax sustenance from the earth. Vaadia says he doesn't see himself as very different: both men produce food, but his is food for the spirit.

Additional works by this artist can be seen on display at the Sarasota Herald Tribune building on Main Street in downtown Sarasota January 8 through May 30, 2014.