Colorful art by Paul Schulz has been on display at the Winter Haven Library.
He began his career as a design coordinator for Hallmark.

Paul Schulz uses real butterflies as inspiration. ‘I embellish the color to get the essence of what I’m trying to convey,’ he says.

A butterfly sculpture adorns the garden area at Paul Schulz’s Winter Haven home.

The idea itself brings a smile to his face as the 43-year-old fondly remembers a conversation he had with his much- beloved art professor at Davidson College, acclaimed abstract artist Herb Jackson.

"I was working with oils at the time and when you work with oils, if you're not careful mixing them -you end up with mud, " said Schulz who was being particularly careful one day. "Herb Jackson's work is very colorful and one critique he had written of my work read, 'Paul, are you afraid of color?'"

"From that time on, I hear that phrase resonate in my head - it really made an impact on me," said Schulz, who sometimes finds himself busy working in his home studio "throwing an extra dab of paint and saying aloud, 'take that Herb Jackson!'"

These days, Paul Schulz isn't afraid of color or much else. The president of the successful family citrus oil company - Florida Chemical Company - in the citrus industry since 1942, Schulz continues to expand his family's business while enjoying the freedom of exploring his passion for art.

"I'm now in a really positive position with my 'day job' as our company continues to grow with an extremely capable and awesome team," said Schulz, who is assisted by Josh Snively, vice president.

The company's offices and hallways have become "a Paul Schulz art gallery of sorts" - showcasing Schulz's view of nature I a variety of forms.

"With the best artists, you can see they have taken something unique in nature and made it their own," said Schulz, whose own crystal-blue eyes twinkle with childhood delight when he discusses his passion for art. "When I paint, I take something from nature that I observe and personalize it while keeping the integrity of what I've captured. I tend to accentuate the color - embellish it to make it my own."

That's the case with the 2004 expo poster - "Spectrum of Life," a piece Schulz has spent two years creating in his home's studio. "The subject matter - a tribute to biodiversity -- is something that has wide appeal," said Schulz who is pleased that a Giclee reproduction of the original will be included at the McGuire Center for Lepidoptera Research at the I University of Florida which will house the world's second I largest butterfly collection when it opens this spring. In each of the color panels featured in the artwork is a butterfly.
Schulz first became involved with the Florida Wildlife Art Expo last year after collaborating with former Florida Senator Rick Dantzler of Winter Haven as the illustrator for Dantzler's book, "Under the Panther Moon. "

"I thoroughly enjoy the expo," said Schulz. "It's really a homecoming of sorts - a reunion -- for artists. That's part of the appeal. Each art genre has its means of plugging in to the event."

"Rick's book was a big hit at last year's expo, " said Schulz. Some of the last pages of the book feature Schulz's graphite sketches - fishing lures, in fact - that are similar to the engravings his grandfather, the late William Pringle, did for the U.S. Mint. "My grandfather actually apprenticed for seven years with a master engraver from France," said Schulz, who was pleased to receive from his mother, Helene Schulz (who is actively involved in the local chapter of the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill), a special Christmas gift --"the engraver's Bible, a publication that was printed in the late 1800s and given to my grandfather in 1910." The book joins Schulz's extensive collection of artifacts - many prominently displayed in shadow boxes - that he has collected over the years. "In my next life, I'm going to be a museum curator," said Schulz with a laugh, referring to a section of the home he shares with his wife Carole Ann and their son, Alexander that he calls "the Smithsonian room."

While many artists don't enjoy commercial success - despite their talents - Schulz is grateful for the success of his family's business so there isn't the pressure to produce art for financial gain.

In fact, it was his loyalty to his family that brought Schulz back to Winter Haven in 1985 to assist in the family business. He had been working as a design coordinator for Hallmark Card Company -a firm with, at that time, 600 + employees in its creative department (the most anywhere and the answer to a Jeopardy question, according to Schulz).

While the company was growing, Schulz's art was taking a back seat. AI originally thought I'd come home and help out Dad (H.E. "Bert" Schulz) at the office and paint on the side," said Schulz. "We were just too busy for that, I soon discovered."

To complicate the situation, in 1993 Schulz was diagnosed with a neurological condition known as spasmodic torticollis - which causes neck muscles to spasm - contracting muscles and pulling the head to the side. It adversely affected Schulz's ability to work as well as to paint.

Throughout it all, his family provided encouragement and support that resulted in discovering a "denervation procedure" performed by Dr. Guy Bouvier in Montreal, Canada that helped Schulz regain use of his neck - "clearly improving the quality of my life."

Schulz is now actively supporting projects to generate the $2 million needed to establish a neurosurgery chair at Emory University's Medical Center in Atlanta. A special bonus for Schulz during his visits to Emory has been the opportunity to meet former heavyweight boxing champion Muhammad Ali, -' who was presented with a signed reproduction of Schulz's "Emory Eagle" and Jane Fonda, who was in town for the opening of the Fonda Center and who also received a signed copy of Schulz's creation.