Lewis J was born in Preston, Melbourne, in 1992. He is connected to the Kuku Yalanji people on his father’s side, and the Madi Madi peoples from his mother.
He grew up in Bairnsdale, where he completed year ten in Secondary College. Life in East Gippsland meant Lewis J went on to be a builder; rousing on farms, working in pubs, and abattoirs, and KFC, as well as in the Forestry Industry National Resource Management.
‘I’m drawn to themes of nature,’ he says. A self-taught artist, Lewis J is also a musician. ‘I love to play guitar and rap. I’m planning to release and album in the future.’ And states he only started painting when he signed up to The Torch in 2020. ‘Some of my paintings are from my spiritual journey of life…I enjoy painting Aboriginal art - dots and crosshatching. [I] practice a lot. I try to be creative in different ways as I learn’.
‘I like to try different styles’, he shares, ‘but I’m probably best at cross-hatching and dot paintings.’
‘When I look at my paintings, I feel more connected to culture. The feeling I get is a calm and beautiful feeling.’