Welcome to
Silk Art Creations

Suzanne Tatz (nee Katz), is a South African artist who has been working and teaching from her home studio in Israel and in London for over 30 years. She has a B.A H dip.Ed in Fine Art and Teaching from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg. Suzanne gained proficiency in the handling and teaching of many techniques, particularly  oil painting. She benefitted from the teaching of some of South Africa’s great artists. Among them Erica Berry, Cecily Sash,  Guiseppe Cataneo, Niels Coetzee and Robert Hodgins. Suzanne has produced portraits, landscapes and abstracts. Originals and prints can be seen here.

While living in Israel some years ago, she studied the technique of painting on silk. Pure silk fabric is stretched on a frame and the design is drawn onto the silk with a liquid resin called gutta. The colours used are special dyes that need to be steamed to fix and develop the colours. These colours have a jewel-like intensity that is enhanced by the natural sheen of the silk.

For many years Suzanne has been using her silk-painting skills to produce challah covers for Shabbat and matzo covers for Pesach. She has also made personalized tallit and tefillin bags for Barmitzvahs, a parochet (cover for the Ark) for a synagogue, and other personalized items for special occasions. Recently she has been working on a series of still-life flower studies on silk, some of which are available as prints.

She has painted a series of ” Mizrach” paintings, in oil and on silk. (Since there is a custom to face the city of Jerusalem during prayer, some people display a sign or artwork in their home to show the direction of Jerusalem.) “Mizrach” is the Hebrew word for “East”; because Jerusalem is in the East, that is the central word on these works.

Testimonials

I have been coming to Suzanne for years. She is such a talented artist. Her prints adorn our walls and I love buying her silk painted challah covers for engagement presents. Each and everyone is unique, with dynamic yet subtle use of colour. The designs combine spiritual depth and sensitivity with genuine artistic flair. Our own challah covers are now around 20 years old, the colours remain vibrant and fresh, her designs are timeless and frankly, they are an indispensable part of our Shabbes experience.
Shelly Simons
We own a very stunning Challa Cover from Mrs Tatz! We use it every Shabbos (even though we have others, they seldom make an appearance anymore! ) We commissioned it, choosing our favorite colors and theme, but didn't imagine how amazing it would actually look on the fully set table. I am loving the fact that the richness and depth of color has not faded at all with time.
Ruthie Halberstadt
(Rebbetzen) Suzanne Tatz’s challah covers are unique and beautiful pieces of art. Ours adorns our Shabbat table and never fails to gain admiration from our guests. I’m sure it makes my challah taste better too!
Rebecca Shenkin