About

Mr. Lewis was born and raised in Virginia. His fine art career began after moving to Arizona in the 1990s. He also lived briefly in Wales, New York City, Maine and Namibia, but for the last two decades has called Oregon home, where he continues to obsess over the real vs. the imagined and the mystery of the ordinary.

About

"Secondhand Stories (a self portrait)", 2003 oil on canvas - private collection


Artist Statement

My work tells both true stories and tall tales about what is real, what is imagined and the mystery inherent in ordinary places.

Narrative and metaphor are among the oldest tools of art. I believe they remain essential to finding new meaning in, and new ways of seeing the world. In my paintings, landscape becomes a stage, the setting for an enigmatic tale, with dramatic lighting and unexpected props. For me, the creative process is like a never ending attempt to tell a story, usually starting somewhere in the middle with no idea where it began or how it ends.

The "props" in my paintings become metaphors that can shift their meaning depending on the context, and not just the context within the painting, but also within the viewer’s experience. The empty chair, for example, has been a recurring motif in my work for the better part of a decade. In one sense, it invites you into the scene. It suggests the human presence without depicting an actual figure. A simple wooden chair can be anyone’s. It also conveys, for me at any rate, a comforting kind of solitude. However, when the pandemic forced isolation upon us, it took on an entirely different feeling.

Metaphors and stories, even landscapes, are like that. Their meaning can change over time, as our lives and experiences change. Because art is not just a thing you observe. It’s an interaction. If it’s to have meaning at all, you have to meet it halfway.