Art Student Spotlight: Brian Lutz

Brian Lutz, a passionate woodworker, is a senior graduating from Edinboro in May. Much of his work is in furniture — work aiming to be as practical as it is creative and detailed. 

Lutz explained that he’s always been drawn to woodworking. “I like the physicality of woodworking and how it is a step-by-step process,” he said. 

The local artist touched on woodworking being a time-consuming process, while also involving much use of machinery. He also said that at this point, with the woodworking experiences he has had so far, he feels that he has a good amount of control over the process to create something he’s proud of.

Lutz further explained that he got into woodworking during his middle school years when he had the opportunity to complete projects with his neighbor. 

Together, he and his neighbor worked on cars and partnered to build a shed. And through time spent with his father, Lutz also gained experience with tile. Lutz also took a woodworking class in high school.

After high school, he took a break in order to decide what was next on his life path. During this time, he dabbled in music and photography. He then decided to attend Edinboro, and remembering his interests in woodworking, he decided to pursue a career in the trade. Lutz said that since starting at Edinboro, his craftsmanship has improved significantly. He attributes this in part to the instruction of Karen Ernst. 

“She always encourages me to do bigger and better projects,” Lutz said. “She is able to follow through on your designs and improve upon them a lot more than you would be able to individually,” he continued.

Artistically, the Arts and Crafts movement had an influence on Lutz. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Arts and Crafts movement advocated for simplicity and a world where the artist designed and created their own personal art, thereby having control over the full process. Lutz summed up the key to the arts and crafts movement as, “designing for designing’s sake.” 

In the past, Lutz’s pieces have been on display at the Bates Gallery Wood Club show. They have also been displayed at McLane Church. In addition to having his work showcased, Lutz has been able to share his craftsmanship with his family and girlfriend by giving pieces of his woodwork as gifts.

After graduation, he explained how he hopes to find a job in a woodworking shop specializing in cabinets. Once he has earned enough money from working at this type of shop under someone else’s ownership, he hopes to start a cabinet shop of his own.

Lutz is currently working on a website. In the meantime, you can see more of his work on his Instagram page, @german_spec_woodworking. 

Patrick Dewey can be reached at ae.spectator@gmail.com.

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