Today we’d like to introduce you to Alex Paul Loza.
Hi Alex, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My artistic calling started during my childhood growing up in Peru. My mom and maternal grandparents always supported and nourished my artistic curiosities. Then at Perth Amboy High School in New Jersey, my art teacher, Mrs. Stepash, encouraged my talent through additional art projects and art supplies to take home and explore. Without my knowledge, she would submit my artwork to exhibitions and local competitions. In my senior year, she encouraged me to consider majoring in Fine Arts.
After graduating high school, I moved to Michigan to attend Andrews University where I met the professor who later became my mentor and friend, Harry Ahn. Mr. Ahn is a world-renowned artist and working artist. He not only helped me refine my drawing and painting skills but taught me how to be more disciplined, how to manage a working studio, and how to balance an artist’s career. After two-plus years of training under his guidance, he helped me build my portfolio which was submitted to the American Academy of Art in Chicago where I was accepted. At the Academy, I obtained additional artistic knowledge in sculpting and artistic human anatomy.
After obtaining my Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, I started working as an After-School Art teacher at an elementary school in Chicago, offered drawing workshops/classes for youth and adults, and volunteered my artistic portrait drawing skills to create composite sketches for the Chicago Police Department. In 2010, I relocated to Chattanooga, TN with my family where I continued to teach and create local murals and art pieces. In 2019, after a nationwide search, I was commissioned to sculpt a historic bronze monument of U.S. Representative, Abolitionist, and “Father of the 14th Amendment”, Thaddeus Stevens in Gettysburg, PA.
The city of Gettysburg has one of the largest collections of outdoor sculptures in the world; with over 1,300 monuments. I was recently commissioned by McKee Foods (McKee Foods Parks, Trails, and Greenways) the creators of the Little Debbie Snack Cakes to create the first ever life-size bronze sculpture of America’s Sweetheart, “Little Debbie” for the forthcoming Little Debbie Park to be built in Collegedale, TN. I’ve also been commissioned by Card-Monroe Corp. (CMC) to sculpt two life-size busts of Charles Monroe and Lewis Card, Jr., founders of CMC; the world leader in the manufacturing of tufting machines for the synthetic turf market.
Several NFL Super Bowl games have been played on turf made by a CMC tufting machine.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t however I’m grateful for every struggle I’ve overcome and will face. These challenges pave the path for my artistic journey and I appreciate every step I take toward my goals. I would like to share two challenges that I believed impacted my journey and hope they will inspire rising artists or anyone looking to progress in their careers.
The first challenge was early on in my journey, I was 18 years old and starting my first semester at the university. An art professor told me I wasn’t talented and that I’ll never amount to anything and suggested I quit my dream of becoming an artist. Unfortunately, I believed him and dropped out of the Fine Art program. I spent the following semesters searching for a new calling which lead me in taking several elective classes like pottery, graphic design, singing, and photography. Although I enjoyed them all, none fulfilled me. Eight or nine months passed and I met a transferred art student, we became friends, and one day he asked me if I could help him with his mural. Working on that mural reconfirmed my calling and motivated me to reenroll in the Fine Arts program.
My career experienced its biggest challenge in 2010 when my wife and I relocated from Chicago to Chattanooga. We were married for over a year and had a five-month-old daughter. We relocated due to a job offer my wife received unfortunately the agency went bankrupt and she was back to square one searching for a new job. I was searching for opportunities to exhibit, teach workshops, or applied for grants but was rejected several times. What was more discouraging was that my wife and I didn’t feel welcome and we were seen as outsiders. On one occasion we reported to the police a note that someone left in our mailbox threatening our lives if we didn’t move. We moved to a different neighborhood and there I decided to teach art classes out of my garage. I also began making my own opportunities by offering free drawing, painting, and sculpting demonstrations around the city. My wife and I worked many odd jobs to support our growing family while finding ways to establish ourselves in our new city.
It wasn’t until 2012 that I had my first break when Ms. Frances McDonald, founder, and owner of Mark Making, hired me to be part of a mural painting project where 20 artists were partnered with 20 high schoolers to mentor and together create and paint a mural. That same year, Mr. Tony Mines, owner of Art Creations, a local art store, contracted me to join their art instructors team. I taught 2-3 courses per week and all my classes were filled to capacity. Mr. Mines quickly referred me to the Dean of a local university to teach for the Fall semester which turned into teaching for three years.
Fast forward to the first two years of the COVID pandemic, I offered free virtual art lessons once a week in English and Spanish which were used by many local public schools and homeschool students.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m a multidisciplinary artist who specializes in bronze sculpting, mural painting, and canvas art. In 2017, I had my first Solo-Show in Chattanooga making it the first exhibition by a Latino in Tennessee’s Southeast region. In 2018, I painted the first Latino public mural in the City of Chattanooga. In April 2022, after unveiling the Thaddeus Stevens monument I became the first Latino artist to add a sculpture to Gettysburg’s outdoor collection.
I’m very grateful and pleased with each artwork because each piece encapsulates a time in my life and demonstrates how I’m evolving as an artist, as a father, a husband, and a community builder.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
Determination, faith, and honesty are essential to succeed. I strongly believe in never giving up regardless of how big or difficult the trials or obstacles may be, I see them as opportunities for growth and self-discovery.
Trials are signs that we are choosing not to remain stuck in our comfort zone where we can jeopardize and suppress our talents. It’s also very important, to be honest with ourselves and our craft. When we are, it’s reflected and recognized by everyone including our family, friends, and clients.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.alexpaulloza.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/alexpaulloza
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/alexpaullozaart
- Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/alexpaulloza
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCakGh82DU26CfkFbCDVUvng
