A native of Nebraska, Paul Lantz was raised in Montana and Missouri. He began his studies in art at a very young age at the Kansas City Art Institute, becoming the youngest student in the history of the school. Later, at the age of 17, he studied in New York at The National Academy and The Art Students League. In 1926, he traveled and studied in Europe. Between 1929-1939, he studied in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he worked with Randall Davey.

During WWII, Lantz enlisted and worked as an illustrator for the US Army. Following the war (1946) he went to San Francisco where he completed a number of mural paintings. He then settled in upstate New York In 1974, Lantz relocated permanently to New Mexico.