My name is Laurence Tietz. Firth is my mother’s maiden name. I create and show my work under the name Laurence Firth to honor her for the love and encouragement she gave me.
In the 1980’s and early 1990’s I lived and worked in the San Francisco bay area. First at my studio in San Francisco’s Noe Valley and later in the east bay in Emeryville and at my Oakland studio in the old Dutch Boy Paint factory. In the early 1980’s I studied painting at the San Francisco Art Institute where I earned my MFA in 1986.
In 1993 I closed my painting studio and moved to Los Angeles where I opened a multimedia production studio. During this time I discontinued painting. Upon retirement in 2011 I moved back to the San Francisco area settling in the east bay city of Richmond CA. In 2016 I put together a small studio and began making small paintings and drawings on paper.
Almost all of the work from the 1980’s and 90’s is no longer in my possession having been sold, given away or lost. Fortunately I photographed many of my artworks allowing me to display those photos here on this website. Seeing this work again is very helpful for me as I begin making new art. As I look back at my early work there are many pieces I’ve almost forgotten not having seen them in so many years. As I continue on this journey these “old friends” inform my new work.
The work I make today is very different from my early work. The work of a young man reflects the heart and mind of a young man. My work today reflects the man I’ve become. Today I work in a smaller format for practicality and because I love working on paper and the intimacy of the scale. My studio is in my home in Richmond where I live with my wife Rebekah Rose, our dog Lucy and our cat Norma.
At home in Richmond CA with an oil painting I made in the early 1990’s. See this painting
Contact
Contact me at [email protected]