Paul Lotz

Paul Lotz

Paul B. Lotz was born in Long Island, New York and raised in the small town of Schwenksville, Pennsylvania. He remembers, “I always loved art as a child. I loved to draw, paint or just be creative in anything I would do.” Lotz graduated from Tyler School of Art in 1989 with a degree in Graphic Design. Throughout his education, he took a few classes in pottery and sculpture, but kept following the path to design. He was determined to build a career in the art world.

The most influential moment for Lotz came when he spent a semester in Rome, Italy. The artist’s eyes were opened widely to the art of the Renaissance. Recalling his impressions of that ancient city, “I was amazed by it all and found it inspiring.” Like many creative people, however, he was drawn into the business world after college and put down the pencils and paints. He became an entrepreneur and eventually moved to San Diego in 2006.

As a professional, Lotz found opportunities to travel to Europe and was again immersed in the old masters. “I had a definite passion for ancient history, classical art and architecture, the different lifestyles and the growth of humankind over centuries,” Lotz intones. The year 2010 marked an important change in the path to his destined career. He attended a group sculpture show with the San Diego Sculptors Guild and was immediately inspired by the variety of artistic styles exhibited there. Motivated by their individuality and diversity, Lotz became eager to develop his own unique approach. He found a place where he could purchase clay supplies and started working with water-based clays, learning the human form. After experimenting for several months with the medium, he found that his ideas were flowing, but the clay couldn’t do what he wanted it to do. That was when a friend introduced Lotz to bronze. He was instantly revitalized and began challenging the clay and bronze processes to see what they could do. “With every piece I create, I push the mediums,” Lotz attests, “I want the pieces to be more extreme. I want the stories to be more intense. I want the viewer to feel a part of the tale.”

The artist’s work has always been inspired by the classical styles of the old masters. His fascination with the Renaissance and culture from that era merge with his love of dreams and fantasy. It can be said that Lotz sculpts his masterpieces from the inside-out. For Lotz, inner emotions motivate his sculptures’ external appearances. They seem to capture hidden feelings and lay them out for all to see. He affirms, “I want to capture these hidden feelings and express people in their most private state, both mentally and physically. My hope is to create something that people will relate to but never want to admit feeling themselves.” These honest expressions of emotion spark immediate response from the viewer.

“Ultimately,” Lotz explains, “No matter what the subject, the piece must exude emotion. I love dichotomies, plays against reality vs. fantasy, good vs. evil, sex vs. purity. I want people to feel what the subject is feeling and see the story that’s being told. It doesn’t necessarily have to be my story, but they have to be inspired to make their own.”