Justin Potts, born in 1972 and raised in Bucks County, PA, is a self-taught artist who began his artistic journey at a young age. Influenced by his father’s oil paintings and mixed media works, and his mother’s floral sketches and calligraphy, Justin was inspired by his older sister’s intricate art design when he was about 11 or 12 years old.
“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 13, Justin had dedicated himself to art, finding meditative bliss in his practice. For the past 30 years, he has approached his work with a jazz-like improvisational spirit, embracing a continuous process of experimentation.
“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 central to Justin’s life, serving as therapy and a tribute to both his family and the broader universe. He values peace, kindness, egalitarianism, conservation, and problem-solving.
Justin lives and works in Portland, Oregon, with his wife, two children, and an underutilized Border Collie. Beyond visual art, he writes and records solo music and performs with the experimental rock band Terwilliger Curves.
