My Story
I make art!
I grew up wild in the deep woods of Northern Minnesota and I became a declared visual artist as a teenager. I haven’t looked back since! I love abundant color, the joy of artistic process, using unusual materials and inventing tactile texture.
Yes, I was a struggling waitress for YEARS—but eventually I found my people, and in the past few years, I’ve shipped over 13,000 packages of art and merch out of my home studio.
My jam is pushing the boundaries of what is typically “done” with art materials… And yes, I do gather the haters that think I “waste paint”. (In fact, my alter ego The Art Police takes calls from them on the regular.) But I don’t let it stop me…. (See the gallery of my favorite work here!)
Social Media Obsessed?
Maybe just a little. I’ve been posted daily art videos to social for 6 years! I really dig sharing my process on social media and over 3 million folks follow along! My art process videos have had more than 1 billion views. (Dude. What???) You can find me everywhere as @josielewisart and I hope you say hi!
True facts: I have an obnoxious amount of lighting and camera gear!
Oh, And Another Big Time Passion?
I love helping you art-curious types take brave action on exploring art making!
You can find me coaching artists (both hobbyists and pros) with tutorials and courses on watercolor and acrylic on the regular. I do in person workshops, online teaching, and you can collect my super custom, one of a kind, travel watercolor set right here.
And another thing that really gets me going….
Helping artists get PAID.
The business of art endlessly fascinates me, and since I have managed to generate multi-6 figures yearly with my studio art, I have made it a personal mission to help artists break out of the “starving artist” myth and create sustainable income as they bring their genius gifts into the world. Do you need help selling your art? Let’s be best friends because my specialty is finding your superpowers. Go HERE for some resources.
Here’s some random street cred
if you care about this sort of thing.
I have a BFA and MFA from the University of Minnesota (yes, this means I went to art school for 7 years).
My work has publicly shown in multiple solo and group shows in museums and galleries.
I have artwork in the public collections of General Mills, UC Berkeley, Target Corporation and The Minneapolis/St Paul Airport (to name a few).
Over the past few years, I’m honored to be able to say that more than 16,000 people have ordered my art and merch from this very website!
My work has been featured by Design Sponge, Good Housekeeping, George Takei, Mental Floss, and The National Endowment for the Arts.
I have a line of artsy jigsaw puzzles! You can find them at Target, Walmart, and Amazon.
I am a published author, releasing “The New Color Mixing Companion” in 2018.
I also had the great privilege of presenting at TEDx Minneapolis. (video below!)
You can buy my art supplies from Michaels Stores.
Meanwhile, I live in the Twin Cities with my adorable husband and sweet daughter.
My Art
I work with a wide variety of materials, from traditional paint to Home Depot paint chips to dollar store candy. I love color, rainbows, and repetitive detail that may drive some people crazy, but the process sooths my soul.