Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Paul Lorenz. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Paul, appreciate you joining us today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

Taking a risk is essential to growth and understanding. Art does not move forward if risks are not taken. I have never felt that a painting is finished unless and element of risk is involved. ‘What if’ I dropped a bucket of paint on the surface? ‘What if” I draw with only broken pencils? Heading into the unknown is necessary. Nothing great comes out of playing it safe or staying comfortable. A bit of fear makes things happen.

I love the chemistry of oil painting. I love making my own paint from pigments, exploring different solvents and oils. To discover the way different pigments and chemicals work together is extremely gratifying for me, and for my collectors.

My favorite place to buy pigments is a small store called Sinopia. They were once in San Francisco, but are not in Palm Springs, California. I found a white pigment from Japan, Gofun Shiryuki, that looked fascinating. It is made from a specific oyster shell from a specific beach in Japan. I ordered some with great excitement. The pigment arrived in a beautiful box, with directions on how t use it, all in Japanese. I figured, it is pigment, I will treat it like any other paint. The white was a bit dull when mixed with oil, which a bit surprising. I was hoping for a beautiful luster from the oyster shells. I used the paint on numerous canvas works.

When the canvases were dry enough for their final varnish, I made a rich oil glaze and covered the surfaces thinly. To my shock, all of the Japanese white paint disappeared! It when transparent! I was speechless…what had I done?

The next day, as the glaze dried, only the thickest areas of the Japanese white returned. The white formed these beautiful veils over the under layers. I started using this white on everything, to see if the disappearing act with oil glazes would continue. And it did! The risk of exploring a new paint was a huge positive. The resulting veils of white created some of my favorite paintings. Eventually this pigment was discontinued and I have never found a replacement. I also learned, years later, that the pigment is used for priming canvas, like a gesso, and not for making paint. I liked the risk of discovery that resulted.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My work is my autobiography.

As an interdisciplinary artist, I have allowed my creative curiosity to guide my professional life. I have always been a creator: drawing at a very young age, piano lessons starting at age 8, discovering oil paint in high school. When it came to college, I decided to study architecture at the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, my hometown, which has turned out to be the strongest influence on my work and life. Working as a full-time architect and being an abstract painter have always been intertwined. One fed, and and one balanced, the other. I have been fortunate to be able to play in both worlds.

In 1999, while living near San Francisco, a new gallery opened, HANG, and they decided to represent me and my paintings. This was the turning point in my life. I left a full-time architecture job to pursue fine art full-time. This was a huge decision. Without the support of the gallery, being on my own would have been overwhelming. My first solo exhibition in 2001 was a brilliant experience, both creatively and personally. Seeing friends and strangers, relate to the imagery was one of the most moving moments of my life. By exhibiting with HANG, I was offered a teaching position in the MFA program at the Academy of Art University. Teaching has remanned an important facet of my life.

Though I ultimately left California for Kentucky…and then Arizona…and now I recently returned to Chicago, art has stayed the constant in my life. Painting evolved to drawing, which led to conceptual music scores and sound performances and video/photography…and back to painting. Pursuing the idea of ‘what does a line sound like’, led me to an MFA in Music Composition at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. The basic elements of architecture continue to weave between all of the media. Painting commissions, photography projects, and video scores are part of my project arsenal. National and international exhibitions continue, as they have since 2001. I stay open to collaborations, which can be great fun and profoundly intriguing.

My brand is my curiosity. Always asking, ‘what if’. Finding new conclusions in traditional, and non-traditional media. My mission is to continue looking forward and exploring ideas with like-minded creatives.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

My biggest challenge happened in April 2020. Like for everyone, the pandemic threw a wrench into everything.

Before the pandemic, I was riding a creative high. I had recently moved to Phoenix, Arizona (for family reasons) and received a studio space in a newly opened art center. . An artist residency in Mexico City was awarded to me for a one month stay. To get my feet on the ground, I took a part-time position in design/sales with a beautiful furniture store in Phoenix. I had an art commission started in the new studio space. Life was full and rich with possibilities.

Then the pandemic hit. Lockdown. The art center closed. My part-time job laid me off. The artist residency was cancelled. All in the same week. I had no place to paint, all plans ended, Even the art commission ended. It was a devastating time.

But, being flexible and motivated, while in lockdown in my house, I thought about alternatives. Though I never considered myself a photographer, I had thousands of photos in my computer from travels, family events, camera experimentations, etc. I turned to these images and started to explore what digital collage can mean to my aesthetic and creative needs. I surprised myself. I never thought the computer could challenge me like oil on canvas, or pencil on paper could. I spent months in my home office in front of my computer exploring imagery and balance, color and black and white, old and new photographs. The results were quite profound for me. As the pandemic wore on, I started submitting the images to publications and virtual gallery exhibitions. It was a new found avenue. I have been fortunate to have had numerous publications share the works, and now with the pandemic over, live gallery exhibitions for the digital collages has grown. The collages have even evolved into video projects, which is a challenge for me.

There are silver linings even at the most dark times. Though the art center never reopened and the art commission was never resumed, creativity finds a way to live and breathe. We all have stay strong and keep our eyes open.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

As I said earlier, my work is my autobiography. My creative journey is personal. Not everyone will want to be part of my journey, but luckily, there are a few. The pandemic opened me up to examining my being…my identity. By losing my painting studio, the part of me that has always identified as a painter disappeared. By pouring though decades of photographs, new questions came up about my work…and me. New thoughts about identity began to evolve. I am more than a painter…I am a traveler, I am a mature gay man, I am a seeker of balance and nuance, I like to make noise, literally and figuratively.

An ongoing project. Public/Private, explores my life and identity through video snippets and self-portraiture. Sharing my private life was never part of my paintings. The paintings were deliberately abstract and removed, a kind of fortress. By slowly sharing myself, my home, my personal moments, the new imagery tells a deeper story. Hopefully the paintings will continue to evolve in a way that is more parallel.

Most importantly, I like to share my experiences with others. I enjoy working with photographers, musicians, engineers and students. My goal is to continue bringing my work to the world and let others see who I am beyond the obvious. The work tells my story in all facets and colors.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.linktr.ee/plorenz
• Instagram: @paul_w_lorenz
• Youtube: @paullorenz8692

Image Credits
All photos are provided by Paul Lorenz, C. Todd Birdsong, and Perri Neri.