Paul Lauritz 17th CAC President, 1942-1943

Paul Lauritz
(1889 – 1975)

Painter. Born in a small art colony of Larvik, Norway on April 18, 1889. Lauritz was exposed to art at an early age, studying with local and foreign artists in Larvik. At age 16 he moved to eastern Canada to live with his sister and found work as a hardrock driller in a mine. Working his way west, he worked as a commercial artist in Vancouver and Portland, OR where he began painting landscapes and portraits. The meager existence in artwork led him to Alaska with the Gold Rush. Unsuccessful as a miner, he again turned to painting and became a close friend of artist Sydney Laurence. The two artists held a joint exhibition before Lauritz left Alaska. In 1919 he settled in Los Angeles and established a studio-home in the Lyceum Theatre on Spring Street. When not teaching at the Chouinard and Otis Art Institutes or in his studio, he made painting excursions to the Sierra, up the California coast as far north as Carmel, to Mexico (1921), the Columbia River (1924), and Norway (1925). While in his native land, he was commissioned by the King of Norway to do a painting for the royal palace. Lauritz was an involved member of the Los Angeles art community and served for six years on the Los Angeles Municipal Art Commission. A versatile painter, his diverse subjects include desert scenes, portraits, snow scenes, marines and landscapes. He continued painting until his demise at his home in Glendale, CA on October 31, 1975.

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Source:
Edan Milton Hughes, Artists in California 1786 – 1940

Member:
California Art Club (President, 1942 – May 1944)
Laguna Beach Art Association
Painters and Sculptors of Los Angeles
Royal Society of Artists (England)
Salmagundi Club (NYC)
Society of Western Artists
Southwest Art Association