Interview with Amy Rosen Lutnick
It is a pleasure to introduce the remarkable Amy Rosen Lutnick, a Canadian born Israeli artist whose luminous, hand painted creations on Habotai silk reflect the spiritual and geographical journey she has embraced throughout her life. Based in the hills of Mevaseret Zion, just outside Jerusalem, Amy is a graduate of the WIZO Haifa Academy of Design and Education and has been lovingly crafting Judaica for nearly thirty years.
Deeply rooted in both her North American heritage and her enduring connection to Israel, Amy’s work is a harmonious blend of tradition and artistry. With her signature use of flowing shapes, rich colours, and timeless themes, including family, Jewish tradition, and the land itself, she brings warmth and meaning to challah and matza covers, chuppot, scarves, wall hangings, and more. Each brushstroke is a quiet conversation between spirit and silk, a gentle celebration of beauty, ritual, and creativity.
Tradition and Ritual in Her Work
Q: Do you feel tradition and ritual play a part in how you create?
Amy: I'm a very esthetic person. I left Canada when I was 10 and I remember that going to synagogue there on Sabbath morning, we all dressed up. It was part of the culture. As a young girl, my father would play piano, and I would take out a gown my mom gave me, her old bridesmaids dresses, and I would dance.
I add parts of Psalms in most of my wall hanging art. Some of the pieces that I've recently created will have titles but I won't necessarily incorporate a verse into them. So the element of tradition combined to my art gives my art a boost towards a certain direction. I think my art is rather modern, although I'm not particularly a fan of modern art. Many religious Jews and Christians connect to my art because of the added verses.
It's interesting that I'm currently working on a design for my synagogue. There is an arc in synagogues that holds the Torah scrolls. Often there is a curtain. I'm working on a design for the Jewish High holiday season when traditionally synagogues use a white based curtain, a darker based curtain throughout the year. I'm trying to use the Rams horn in my design since that is a very central object for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. We blow the rams horn multiple times. It's a way of calling or crying out to G-d. So while this is steeped in tradition, I'm trying to create something that will have a certain amount of colour.
A Life Between Canada and Israel
Q: Has living between Canada and Israel influenced your sense of beauty and style?
Amy: Israel is a much more casual place, in general. My sense of style is something internal. A friend in the States said that Americans tend to choose darker art for their home walls, and my work reflects living in Israel. The sunlight is very bright here.
The Allure of Silk
Q: What drew you to silk, and what do you love about working with it?
Amy: I don't remember what initially drew me to it, but I loved just the idea of working with it.
Art as a Pause
Q: Do you think art can help us slow down and reconnect with what matters?
Amy: I think any form of art, be it visual or musical, helps us slow down. Especially musical. One can get very caught up in hearing a particular piece of music. I think studying art in a museum takes more effort and allows us to appreciate.
The connection between soft playing music that sets the atmosphere in a high end boutique. I've often heard some classical or jazz music playing in a book store. I often choose a certain type of music to steer me in a particular direction, dependng on what I am trying to create. If I am working on something Judaica, I will often play Jewsign themed music, because it sets a tone.
Amy Rosen Lutnick’s work is a celebration of light, colour, and spirituality, blending tradition with a modern sensibility. Her silk creations invite viewers to pause, reflect, and connect to both the beauty of art and the depth of heritage, creating a timeless dialogue between the past and the present.
Interview by Esther Doorly, The House of Etiquette