Wahrhaftig, a Montclair resident, incorporates papermaking and objects into printmaking and hand-crafted amulets. She also recycles art.

According to Wahrhaftig, some of her favorite finds are bits of other artists' discarded work. A failed etching or a ruined print are just so much raw material.

Wahrhaftig is one of many artists taking part March 12-13 in the Contemporary Crafts Market at Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.

She infuses her work with the twin inspirations of Judaism and nature. Her use of faith in her work is reinforced by a degree in fine arts from Holy Names University in Oakland where she studied printmaking and Hebrew.

You might think the calm wooded glens of the Oakland hills provide ample natural sources of inspiration, but Wahrhaftig has sought inspiration from Judaism's desert roots.

She and her husband, Jack Wahrhaftig, have camped in the Sinai and she has examined rock petroglyphs.

"I incorporate the spirit of the desert into the pieces," Wahrhaftig said. "Turquoise and agate are used a lot."

This Judaic history comes through in her amulets. They incorporate all of her various skills including hand-made paper, silks, etchings and calligraphy with Hebrew inscriptions of faith and protection.

"The etchings are made the same way they were in the 1630s," Wahrhaftig said. "It is very slow and intensive."

The Oakland Museum recently commissioned a Wahrhaftig piece for the Oakland International Airport.

The piece will be on display at the Contemporary Crafts Market.

Wahrhaftig has been attending the market for about a decade.

"It features very high quality crafts and high art," she said. "It is a show with everything from works on paper to jewelry."

The Contemporary Crafts Market will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on March 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on March 13 at Festival Pavilion at Fort Mason in San Francisco. Wahrhaftig will be at booth 2130.