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ART TALKS
"COCKTAIL PAINTINGS AND LEGACY DREAMS"
by Kate Robotham
"Waiting For Summer" oil on panel @Shawn Lutz
She sits at the edge of a small pond, contemplating her watery reflection. Soft, sun-kissed curls defiantly rebel against conformity and escape her sculpted bun to lazily frame her porcelain-toned face. Though the heat of the day destines her for the cool of a paddle-fanned porch, she is content for the moment to let the sultry meadow breeze lick at her white cotton dress as she blurs her reflection with an investigating toe. Behind her the meadow marries into a salt marsh which rubs the sky gently with the peaceful roofs tops of a local Cape Cod town marking the tree-softened horizon. The ivy-huggedoak tree, leaning with age, watches over the pond gazer, patiently protecting her from the demanding sun. She has no worries, no fears -- she simply
enjoys her solitude and sits on her weather-rubbed rock listening to the hum of beetles and rustle of tall grass. All I can do is look on voyeuristically and sigh – ah, but to be the lucky muse of Shawn Lutz’s fertile imagination and talented hand. Ah, to be that contemplative woman in Waiting for Summer. That's right, its a painting. An oil painting so detailed that the windowpanes on the houses can be seen though they are a fraction of an inch wide and every leaf of the oak is individually crafted down to the last vein. It is a work of art so visually stunning that the gazer cannot resist viewing it from a nose's distance away, carefully scanning every minute inch of the canvas board. Lutz has been compared to Maxfield Parish with the value of his simply breathtaking works jumping 700% since his first show in 1995. But if you want a Lutz, get in line. Mr. Lutz’s paintings are often sold before they are completed (some before they are even started) and gallery openings of his new works often resemble feeding frenzies. Yet, even with his rapidly accelerating rise to fame, Lutz is happy as a stay at home daddy, who finds his fame flattering, yet paints out of his fertile love of his craft.
Mr. Lutz didn't always find his calling on the canvas. In fact, he was initially drawn to acting, utilizing the stage to express himself artistically. Realizing, however, that making it a la Tom Hanks style was probably as likely as finding a Coke bottle top that didn't say “Sorry, try again”, Lutz turned back to the painted arts – a medium he had dabbled in most of his life, but never seriously pursued. In 1991, while still acting for a dinner theater troupe, Mr. Lutz was commissioned to paint a portrait of a woman by a man who saw his potential. Armed with nothing more than raw talent and a vague knowledge of Maxfield Parishes luministic style, Lutz created a jaw-dropping, full-bodied portrait of the clients mother. Realizing his love of the medium, Lutz started on his second painting, One and God for Eternity, which took eight months to complete and was instantly bought by his “portrait” client. By 1995, he had his first one man show at the Cahoon Museum during which every piece sold. Four years and 50 paintings later, Mr. Lutz’s works are sent to collectors around the country, all fidgeting impatiently as they wait for his next work.
What makes a Lutz painting so head snapping is the amount of detail played into every canvas he approaches. Citing Parish for his luminescent style, Rockwell for his works’ empathetic conveyance, and Vermeer for his passionate ability to draw emotion from light, Lutz utilizes his role models when he paints. Working in oils, due to the sheer romanticism of utilizing such an old medium and the stubborn desire to conquer one of the most rebellious of paints, Lutz takes anywhere from 1 week to several months to complete one of his sought after works. The multiple layers of oils, which Lutz painstakingly applies repeatedly, give his paintings their soft glow and satin-smooth texture. The resulting effect is what Lutz refers to as “cocktail paintings” – those works of art, which one can stare at, mesmerized for hours while sipping a drink. Those long study/starring sessions are extended further by the fact that Lutz often adds sprinkles of whimsy into his paintings. The viewer often finds himself extolling the brilliance of Lutz’s work and infinite detail only to suddenly stop short, realizing that there are little footprints which were never noticed before. To Lutz, such small additions round out his painted literature, without which his story wouldn't be complete.
Though Lutz creates all works, from landscapes to still lives to nature, his favorite scenes to create are those in which nature calmly exists with humanity. As in Waiting for Summer, Mr. Lutz often mixes the soothing effect of the Cape landscape with the calm humanity of a sleepy town and soft-skinned woman. Lutz’s favorite painting, Treasures of the Sea, is of a woman walking along the beach, carefully selecting seashells to add to her collection. The receding tide has left glassy grains of sand on the rocks and the setting sun burns the sky pink. Treasures is his favorite painting due to the subject matter, detail, and soft-sighing mood it evokes. Yet these qualities can be said of all of Lutz’s paintings, making his works more than decorative masterpieces – his paintings are art therapy for the mind, mood, and soul. Five years ago, Shawn Lutz, like many of us, wished for a “stab at immortality”. He longed to leave behind more than smiling memories and
"Treasures of the Sea" oil on panel @Shawn Lutz
faded Polaroids. He was determined to be remembered on a grander scale by leaving his own artistic flag of conquest. Now, five years later, Lutz has firmly planted that flag, expressing himself elegantly in oil covered canvas. His determination to leave a piece of himself behind has launched him into the category of a 1990s Maxfield Parish. Lutz looked for immortality and, unlike most of us, has found his fountain of youth. He has made himself immortal in the homes of those who are lucky enough to own a piece of his imagination permanently captured in tender brush strokes and brilliant raw talent. Lutz has made his legacy. Mr. Lutz's beautiful original and limited edition offset lithographs are represented at:
Winstanley-Roark Fine Arts
2759 Main Street
Brewster, MA 02631
Tel: (508- 896-1948) or (800) 828-7217
wrfa@masterfulart.com
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