Justin Potts is a self-taught artist born in 1972 and raised in Bucks County, PA. Growing up, Justin was greatly influenced by his father, who painted in oils and made mixed media works, and his mother, who sketched flowers and practiced calligraphy. At the age of 11 or 12, Justin’s older sister showed him a design she had made in art class, which sparked his interest in art.
“I vividly remember her coming home from school one day and showing me a design she had made in art class. The intricacy and fluidity appealed to me and I began to make my own evermore detailed ink drawings. It turned into something of an obsession.”
By the time Justin was 13 years old, he had committed himself to art with fervor. He found a meditative bliss in his work and has spent the past 30 years consistently making things and experimenting with materials. Justin treats his work like jazz, improvising and believing that there is no wrong way to do it, and that everything is a part of the process.
“If you are making you are progressing, in my view. Keeping a beginner’s mind helps me maintain a sense of wonder, which for me is essential. I am humbled and enchanted by the grandeur, complexity, and enduring mystery of life. This is at the heart of my work.”
Art has been the foundation of Justin’s life, serving as a great therapist and a way to honor his family and what he feels is his extended family – the whole of the universe. Justin values peace, kindness, consideration, humor, egalitarianism, conservation of resources, the DIY ethic, awareness, and problem-solving.
Justin currently lives and works in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, two kids, and an underutilized Border Collie. In addition to his visual art, he enjoys writing and recording solo music and playing guitar and singing in an experimental rock band called Terwilliger Curves.
