Paul Lewis the Artist
Paul was born in December of 1946; he grew up in the small town of Sharpsburg, Md. He and his lovely wife Virginia now live just up the road at Fairplay, Md. During these early years the artist spent a lot of hours playing and working on the farms of the Antietam battlefield, with the exception of the Avenues, Monuments and the National Cemetery these fields were still privately owned and farmed by the local residents. Over these years he and his friends would ride their bikes to the Burnside Bridge to fish and swim. During these years the bridge was still used for automobile traffic by the county residents of the state. He has always been a history buff and a relic collector of items he had found at Antietam and neighboring area conflicts.
When growing up in Sharpsburg, the town residents knew him by Eddy; he was always talking with elder residents about their family and town history. He acquired a vast knowledge on each topic, the battle of Antietam or the C&O canal. His gift of an artistic talent first drew the attention of his First grade teacher who gave him some direction. During the summer months he would meet the battlefield’s tourist who purchased relics he had found or hand painted pictures on old griddles and flat irons. This became a good source to earn extra spending money.
In 1959 a high school art teacher by the name of Henry Kotun discovered his talents during a freshman art class drawing exercise. He took him to the side and gave him tubes of oil paints and brushes from the Boonsboro High school’s art supply closet. Then informed him “during the next few years I will help you learn to use these oils in this class”. Paul owes a lot to this man for his efforts with the art education and training he first received. While in the US Navy he was fortunate enough to travel and visit fine Art Museums and meet other artist as they worked, this helped to finesse his style.
Over the rest of his life Paul always took on commissioned work only and has painted everything from portraits, champion bird dogs, horses, clipper ships, Apple trees, California sunsets, etc. You name it and he has probably painted one. He has about two hundred works over the country.
Paul will still do commissioned work with his approval of subject upon requests only.
