The "Personal Archaeologist" (and Artist) Paul Lorenz

by Paul Lorenz

  Today’s artist featured on The Wrighter, Paul Lorenz, is now doing with his art work something I’ve been doing with my writing lately.  He calls it “Personal Archaeology” (I never had a name for it).  You can learn more about Lorenz on his website: http://paullorenz.com.
 

How do you describe your work?

My work involves exploring materials, and seeing what they want to do...and what they may not want to do. Having studied architecture and have worked as an architect and designer, I feel very comfortable in taking risks with media, but also not forgetting composition and finish. My pieces straddle the line between control and chance... recording my reaction and resulting choices, whether paintings, drawings or sound experiments. The titles of graphite pieces are based on the date when the work was finished (and number of lines drawn)...titles for paintings are based upon the date the pieces was started. I am never really sure when a painting is finished, they sometimes go on for years.

 

What work will you be working on in the month of March?

I have been re-examining older works... pieces I thought were complete three or four years ago...and reworking the composition and surface to find what I may have covered up or buried in the process of working. I am calling the journey 'Personal Archaeology'. All the work is oil on panel, though it may not stay that way once I stop digging through the surface. I am also heading to Austria at the end of March for a group exhibition in Innsbruck, with some of the 'Personal Archaeology' pieces.

 

by Paul Lorenz

 Who would you say are your biggest supporters?

Family definitely! I have been very fortunate, my family, immediate and extended, has been very supportive of my endeavors over the years...even if the end result was a bit sketchy or questionable. Professionally, I work with five galleries (four in the USA and one in Europe) and the encouragement I get from them, both personally and creatively, has made my path as an artist very positive and fun. As a demographic, I have found my biggest supporters/collectors to be professional, mostly male, between 45 and 65...which I am sure is not an unusual statistic.

 

What living artist (besides yourself) would you consider “amazing” right now?

 I am fascinated by performance and endurance art...Tony Orrico does some amazing, mesmerizing work... Marina Abramovic never ceases to surprise and move me. I had the opportunity to hear her recite her manifesto on art in Italy in 2009 and was blown away by her thoughts and observations. Architecture is my biggest influence and I am always inspired by what is designed by Shigeru Ban, Tadao Ando and Santiago Calatrava... just to name a few.

 

What was that last book you read, and what did you think of it?

 I am finding myself reading fewer and fewer books these days. I love short stories and truthfully, the New Yorker keeps me supplied. I did receive “We Need To Talk About Kevin” by Lionel Shriver for Christmas, and I will begin reading that shortly. Reading is such a luxury for me. I spend way too much time watching movies though.... catching up on Ingmar Bergman classics right now... hooray for Netflix!

by Paul Lorenz

 

 

What was your favorite purchase in the last 30 days? Why?

At the Kenneth Cole outlet outside Palm Springs last Monday, I just bought a pair of green boots with red stitching, very similar to Doc Martins. Green leather...they grabbed my eye and I was hooked. Clothes and fashion do hold a special place in my heart... luckily I have a very small closet.