Justin Lewis was born in Olney, Maryland in 1973. At the age of 5, Justin lost most of his hearing from progressive nerve damage. He grew up in the nearby community of Columbia where he spent his days building forts and toys out of found objects.
In 1992, Justin moved to Monterey, California where he lived on his grandfather’s leaky boat for a year. That same year, despite his hearing loss, he taught himself how to play percussion instruments and joined up with a local garage band as their drummer/songwriter. He spent the next several years collaborating on various musical projects before focusing on his solo writings and art work.
As an avid journaler since 1995, Justin studied several different methods of bookbinding to incorporate into his daily journals and artwork. His journals are inspired by the paper journals of photographer Peter Beard and Wallace Berman’s “Semina” mail art series.
In 2003, he met his partner, Keri Marion, and the two of them soon opened a joint gallery on Cannery Row in Monterey. There, they banded with a tight-knit group of other artists and created a small contemporary art community in the small seaside town.
Concurrently, Justin began a three year apprenticeship/studio management position with a local sculptor with whom he mastered his mold-making skills in the lost wax method for the production of cast bronze sculpture. This position culminated with the construction of 7 life-size molds for the bronze figures and the finished installation, “A National Salute to Bob Hope and the Military” in San Diego, California.
In July of 2007, Justin and Keri moved to Rhode Island to further focus on their solo and collaborative projects.
Justin Lewis now lives and creates in East Providence, Rhode Island.
