PAUL LAURITZ (1889-1975)
37. Abalone Point
Oil on Canvas
Signed lower left
20 x 24 inches
29 x 33 framed
Provenance:
Private Collection, Colorado
Paul Lauritz was born in Larvik, Norway, and was trained in painting early on in his life. After studying at the Larvik Art School, Lauritz moved west to Vancouver, Canada, to live with his sister and work as a miner. He later moved to Portland, Oregon, where he worked as an artist and married Mary Potterton. Paul and Mary were unhappy with their meager living, and the Alaska Gold Rush was alluring to them. They moved to Alaska, but were unsuccessful finding gold. He did meet Alaska’s most famous artist, Sidney Laurence (1865-1940). Lauritz was able to study and paint with this master artist which greatly influenced the quality of paintings for the next ten years. The Lauritz’s moved south to California, settling in the Los Angeles area. There, Paul continued to create, and he became known for his painterly depictions of coastal and landscape scenes.
Lauritz taught painting at the Chouinard School of Art and the Otis Art Institute. When he wasn’t teaching, he was exploring and painting throughout California. The oil on canvas, Abalone Point, depicts an area in Laguna Beach, which is between the current developments of Emerald Bay and Irvine Cove. This breathtaking piece of land is no longer untouched as it was when Lauritz painted it. Unknowingly, what Lauritz found when he painted Abalone Point was, in fact, the “golden light” of California.
Lauritz was active in the art community, serving as a member of the Laguna Beach Art Association; the California Art Club; the Painters’ and Sculptors’ of Los Angeles; the Royal Society of Artists, England; the Society of Western Artists; and the Southwest Art Association.
Works held:
Hollywood Athletic Club; Laguna Art Museum;
Pasadena Art Institute; Santa Cruz Art Gallery; Springville, Utah Museum of Art;
University of Chicago; Ebell Club, Los Angeles; Santa Paula Chamber of Commerce,
CA; San Diego Museum; The Irvine Museum; The Fleischer Collection, Arizona.
The Redfern Gallery
1540 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 T: (949) 497-3356 F: (949) 497-1324 mail@redferngallery.com
at the Montage Resort and Spa
30801 South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 T: (949) 715-6193