BUCYRUS – Jeremy Lutz is “pouring” his heart and soul into a different type of artform, and he’s found his passion along the way.
Lutz is a concrete artist.
He turns a vertical block or foam structure into a three-dimensional work of art by applying a wet mortar mix and then sculpting and shaping it as the mixture starts to dry. He also carves realistic features into his “canvass” with small carving and sculpting tools, spraying on color and a sealant after the project finally cures.
Pieces that at first glance appear to be wood are actually made of concrete – wine holders, tropical tikis (his favorites) in various shapes and sizes and even lifelike “trees” with hand-carved bark that support a patio roof on a one-of-a-kind outdoor retreat he recently helped build behind a friend’s home in Crestline.
“I always say that I’m an artist addicted to concrete,” said Lutz, who does sub-contract work for his brother, Ryan Lutz, the owner of Committed Builders in Bucyrus. “My whole idea is that every day I wake up I want to make something beautiful. I want to create something unique each day.”
Lutz, a Bucyrus native, has always dabbled in some form of art – airbrushing as a teen-ager, tattooing, painting and even etching and engraving tombstones in the back of a monument shop. He’s also sandblasted native rocks, creating personalized images for customers in Crawford County and beyond.
“My outlet was always creativity as a kid, as a young kid, and that kind of became a medicine for me,” said Lutz, who grew up working in the family business, Lutz Construction. “And then I stumbled into tattooing and apprenticed some amazing tattoo artists.”
But the “game changer” in his life came 10 years ago, he said, when his younger brother, Ryan, signed him up for a visit to Deco-Crete Supply at their Orrville, Ohio, location, where he spent days taking courses and learning from decorative concrete pros how to polish, stamp, stencil and stain.
Hooked on the carving part of the industry, Lutz decided three years ago to take an advanced decorative concrete class in Knoxville, Tenn. From there it was off to Las Vegas and Virginia until he finally had the opportunity at a Deco-Crete expo to learn from one of the best in the world– Josh Russell of Bryon, Michigan.
There was no turning back.
Now the 43-year-old is perfectly content “honing and harnessing” his skills. Mixing up batches of wet mortar and applying it with a trowel. Shaping, carving and what he calls “hard carving” until the pieces come to life – realistic rock formations, 3-D walls surrounding a backyard pool and decorative landscape designs created out of concrete.
Lutz said it took him about eight weeks to carve the secluded Crestline oasis, dubbed the “Love Shack” by its owner, which is stained in five different colors. Other pouring on the premises, he said, was done by a crew from Committed Builders, including a stamped love compass rose on the floor inside.
No drawings for his part of project, Lutz said. Everything made on site. And done by an artisan who has finally found his niche.
“I’ve found my passion, absolutely,” Lutz said. “I’m so passionate about this carving. I feel everything has led up to this for me. This is where my heart and soul is.
