James Lewis (b.1953) realized at an early age that he had a natural gift and calling for artistic pursuits. James graduated from Columbus College of Art and Design with a BFA degree where his artistic influences range from Whistler to Wolf Kahn as well as many contemporaries in American painting. Years of experience as an illustrator, art director, designer and university art instructor has allowed Lewis to develop his signature style and artistic practices to create paintings that are mature yet fresh feel. His simple and everyday experiences are painted with both realism and abstraction, documenting his world through paint, color, and texture. Lewis believes that environment, relationship, and travel fuel creativity. The result is a sense of harmony, balanced by spontaneity and energetic brushwork - both direct and intuitive. James Lewis resides with his wife Sherry in the Low Country of South Carolina, where she provides tremendous inspiration for a lot of Lewis’ figurative work. James recently became an associate member in both the Oil Painters of America and the American Impressionist Society. He also teaches workshops at the Society of Bluffton Artists and the Academy-Art League of Hilton Head. “Art is capable of more than simply adding beauty to our life, but can change the way we think and feel, bringing an actual sense of refreshment, peace, joy or other expressions within our soul.” - James Lewis