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To leave a remembrance of Morris: CLICK HERE |
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I met Morris in 1999. He responded to a mailer we sent out about creating web sites. It has been my pleasure to have worked with him all theses years. He was truly a unique individual and a very interesting man. I will miss him.
- Joe Tartaglia / High Caliber Solutions |
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We had the pleasure to meet Moshe on several occasions in the past few years. In 1997 we met him at his studio in Manhattan to make arrangements for him to paint at my daughter's Bas Mitzvah on Long Island. We took him to lunch at a local bagel store and it was so much fun listening to him talk to strangers about his work. He was a real hit at our Simcha and all my daughter's friends treasure the paintings he made especially for them.
We then visited with him when he was at the nursing home in the Bronx where he was recuperating from the stroke he suffered that same year.
And a few months later we stopped by his apartment house to pick up the painting he chose as a gift for our daughter.
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Morris Katz supported Jewish Spirit magazine by putting out flyers for us and advertising his paintings in our Jewish outreach magazine. He sent us many paintings which we hang all over our homes. We really valued his kindness and personal support and strength he gave so lovingly to our cause. He made a special point of interviewing us at Kosher Fest with humor and deep respect. We will miss him very much. - Robin Davina Meyerson, publisher Jewish Spirit magazines. |
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My husband and I had seen Morris Katz quite a few times up at the Concord Hotel in upstate New York. His paintings were a bargain and we have one of them which he completed so quickly we could not believe it. He was just a very nice, talented man. - Kathy Ryan |
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I met Morris in the '70's at the Concord Resort hotel (where else?) where I was employed. I was in the service dept. Morris and I hit it off well. I saw his lobby art, an exhibition of exciting instant art, and a performance by a wonderful funny man. This may have gone on for a number of years. The framed, wet paint pictures were all over, with a flare of talent, a roll of toilet paper, a flashing pallet knife, Morris created magic.
Just like a tattoo you can`t own just one of his paintings. Over the years I have collected a dozen and have them hanging all over the house,they just seem to fit and give a warm cozy feeling to the home. I was fortunate to know one of his neighbors children who introduced me to him and got to pick his brain for about a 1/2 hr. He was a remarkable man, I wish I knew him better. His art will leave his legacy for the world to see for a very long time. Rest in peace Morris. You will never be forgotten. Recalling Morris Katz, a good man with talent and the God given gifts to make one feel good. I will never forget you and those wonderful days in the mountains of Sullivan County.
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In the 1970's when I was a young girl I went on vacation to the Catskills. There I saw Morris Katz performing his magic. My money was very limited at that time and I decided to replace a cameo ring which I had lost instead of buying a painting. I soon forgot Morris' name but always regretted my choice. Many years later I decided to move to FL. While discussing this move I mentioned to a friend that I wished I had purchased a painting from an artist who painted with toilet paper. My friend told me that the artists name was Morris Katz. I looked him up and found out that he had a studio in the Village and that he lived three blocks away from where I grew up on Pelham Pkwy in the Bronx. I contacted Morris and my husband and I met him at his studio. At his studio I took many photographs of him painting pictures for us. Morris was such a wonderful person. He told us his personal story, and how he almost died in WW 11. At that time he made a promise to God that if he would survive he would paint Jewish topics and use the money from these paintings to help Jewish causes. Morris was also a comedian and he made us laugh for hours. We purchased several paintings which still hang in my house. From time to time I go to my photo album and look at the photographs that we took at Morris' studio. These photographs still bring a smile to my face. The beauty of his paintings and memories of that very special day that we spent with Morris will always be in our hearts. - Linda Roosna |
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I met Morris Katz at the Homowack Lodge in the late 70's. I was an employee there. He was a very friendly and joyful person. I later worked at the Fallsview and Nevele Hotel and saw him there on numerous occasions with his assistant. I purchased a couple of his paintings and just hung them in my new home in Lake Placid, New York. I was not aware of his passing until now. I always liked to watch him paint. Whenever I could sneak away from the front desk when he was at the hotel, I would go see him. After I think may be close to 25 years, he always remembered me. As much as a great artist, also a wonderful person. I am sure he will be missed by all who new him. I will think about him whenever I look at those paintings. Thank you Morris. - Arlene Bittner Stoll |
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Remembering Morris Katz, 1932-2010 I learned about Morris Katz through the Learning Annex in NYC. I took some lessons with him in the mid-1980's. I always enjoyed his freedom, the freshness of his colors, the bright, cheerful attitude he had, the patience and kindness and encouragement he had for his students. Various demands kept me from taking lessons with him for several years after that. In 1989, my life was devastated by the passing of a loved one. A few weeks later, out of the blue, Morris called me on the telephone and asked if I would like to come to a class with him at his then mid-town gallery. It was like a call from heaven. The class was a blessing, and helped with the healing of the tremendous grief I was experiencing. Morris understood. He had a similar experience. He helped me. He was a good man. In terms of his art, another art teacher once told me that one test of a piece of art is this: does the painting tell you its whole story in one glance, or does it call you back to look at it again and again? Surely the paintings of Morris Katz rise to pass that test with flying colors.
Thank you, Morris Katz. This world is a better, brighter place because you have been here. Now heaven must be, too. |
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I met Morris when I was 13 back in 1978. I was visiting Israel for my Bar Mitzvah and I was amazed to see a painter able to create a painting so fast and with toilet paper! Well now I'm 46 and have thought about Morris from time to time over the years and told my little story Wailing Wall story, where I met Morris. From what I remember he was trying to find out what I wanted him to paint. I was a bit shy and I think there was a bit of a language or accent barrier. After a bit of time I said paint me something 13. So I got 13 rabbis and a little me added in for good luck. Anyway, my short time with Morris stayed with me all these years and I'm thankful. - Holly |
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I am very sorry to hear of his passing. I am one of the many who bought a Morris Katz original at the Concord back around 1977. It was a landscape with a deer. While painting it in front of the group at the Concord, Morris asked, "So you want to see some detail?" He then took his knife and added a "tail" to the deer. "There is detail." - Alan Mendelson, Best Buys TV Show on KCOP Channel 13 |
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I was the stage manager at the Pines Hotel and worked with Morris many times. He was the nicest and most talented person I have ever known. He would come to the hotels, paint and entertain everyone who saw him. God Bless You Morris. You will be missed. - Richard Newman, HighTechScience.org |
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As a kid, one of my fondest memories of The Concord Hotel was watching Morris Katz paint. I would sit for hours with my friends watching him create beautiful paintings from blank canvases. But, the fondest memory of Morris was his sense of humor. He would wear a microphone on his shirt and would narrate what he was painting and would joke with us whenever we would talk with him. He would say something like, “Now we have a beautiful mountain….� Then we would interrupt and say,…..�Yes! And Bigfoot is in those mountains�. Then Morris would say (in his Polish accent), “….Yes!! Bigfoot with his big feets!! Now, go ask your parents to buy a painting!�
He was funny, kind and talented. I remember once passing his studio in Greenwich Village as a teen. He is missed as much as The Concord!
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