May Artist of the Month
Meet Fritz Kubitz
Frederick “Fritz” Kubitz has led an extraordinary life. His contributions to both Art and Architecture worldwide and locally are staggering. He became interested in drawing and painting as a child and his first sign of talent came at age 9 when he won the Chicago Tribune Bird Contest. His father was a professor at the University of Illinois where his colleagues recommended a career in architecture for Kubitz.
He attained his BFA in architecture at the University of Illinois; this also required spending a lot of time in art classes which was quite welcome to Kubitz. “Early on, while training to become an architect, I came across several ‘How to’ books by the artist Theodore “Ted” Kautzy. His subject matter together with his wonderful pencil sketches and watercolors intrigued me and from that point on I was hooked.” Other artist he credits for his development are Tom Nicholas and Paul Strisik.”
After graduating, with his wife at his side, he went into the service and traveled to Europe. His experience as an officer in the US Army’ Occupation of Germany and his European travels during time off had a profound influence on his “desire to graphically put on paper what he saw.” After the war he returned to the States and attained a Master’s Degree in Architecture from MIT. He was recruited by Eero Saarinen, the designer of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis. A few years later, Kubitz returned to Boston where he contributed his talents to the design and development of Logan International Airport, and particularly Terminal C, D and E, as well as the conversion of the Fenway Theatre to the Berklee Performance Center. His work can also be experienced at JFK and Dulles International Airports as well as the American Embassy in London.
While architecture kept him quite busy, he continued to paint and draw “at the dining room table” during time between projects. He and his wife settled in Wellesley and have one son, and now one granddaughter who also paints (she attended Mass College of Art). Later, of course, he designed a lovely home studio. His wife is a designer and author; she creates seashell sculptures and floral arrangements and has published fifteen novels. Her cover designs are done by her husband.
In the early 90’s architecture projects were in low demand and Kubitz recognized that he had developed an audience for his other passion: painting. Since 1990 he has painted between 2700 and 2800 paintings. While his early works were mostly watercolor, he realized the demand for oil paintings and quickly mastered this medium as well. “For the past thirty years I have painted a wide range of topics featuring Maine Harbors, Cape Cod Dunes, Vermont Countryside, New Hampshire Ski Trails, Boston Cityscapes and many other scenes from my travels throughout the U.S. and Europe in both oil and watercolor.”
He has been a member of the WSA since the 1970’s and is a Past President. He is now our first Honorary Lifetime Member. Other society memberships and leadership positions include the American Society of Marine Artists, Guild of Boston Artists (Past Vice President), New England Watercolor Society (Past President) and the Rockport Art Association. He has won numerous awards.
A quote from an American Watercolor Society article reads, “Frederick Kubitz has an intuitive ability in choosing appealing subject matter, plus has a unique sense of style, placement, and dramatic use of lighting effects, giving him a much-honored place among New England painters. He is widely collected by corporations, financial institutions, professional offices, as well as private connoisseurs of art.” A quote from this artist: “If it’s in there and it has to come out, you are an artist; if it’s in there and doesn’t come out, you are a patron.”
