Modern Folk Art with an Expressionist Flair: A Metaphor for Today’s World
Greg Justus
Early Beginnings
As the fifth of seven children raised in North Olmsted, a suburb of Cleveland, I had humble beginnings. My parents didn’t have much money, but my siblings and I always had food, clothes, and an immense amount of support from them. They encouraged us to pursue what we loved while emphasizing the importance of excelling at it and giving 110%. For me, art was my passion from the very start.
My earliest art memory is as a young child, going door-to-door in my neighborhood, selling drawings I’d created to neighbors—even though I didn’t know how to count money at the time. I vividly recall knocking on the door of an older, heavy-set woman in a muumuu dress, trying to sell her my work. She screamed at me and slammed the door in my face. That first rejection remains one of my fondest memories.
My Work
As a regionally recognized artist participating in juried art events in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, my art tends to be whimsical, brimming with bold colors, shapes, and forms, giving it a modern folk art feeling. Born and raised in the Midwest, surrounded by lakes and forests, I spend a lot of time outdoors, taking in the beautiful landscape views it has to offer. I have a deep connection with nature, so when painting landscapes, I use bright, expressive colors to reflect my excitement and love for the outdoors. In the Midwest, we love our flea markets, estate sales, and garage sales, so I’m always on the hunt for interesting objects—broken instruments, old windows, furniture—things that, from my perspective, have the potential to be turned into folk art.
Touch the art!
I often work with different materials to create textures and intriguing surface treatments. There’s something about seeing texture and raised surfaces in a piece that makes you want to touch it. I think a lot about that tension—how viewers are drawn to touch the artwork, yet we’re trained as children to “not touch the art.” When I create, I often incorporate found objects directly into the work to heighten that temptation. I always give permission for a viewer to touch my art if they ask as long as their hands are clean.
Repurposing Found Objects: A Reflection of Life
We live in a fast-paced world full of immediate but often fleeting gratification. Beautiful things—including people—are frequently left behind as we focus on our own needs and desires. It’s easy to attack one another, leaving dings, dents, and damage through words, social media posts, or by choosing our own desires over someone who needs help. When I see items like musical instruments or old windows that used to be externally beautiful and valuable, now discarded due to cracks, breaks, and the imperfections life has dealt them, it reminds me of how we view each other. I love taking discarded objects like these and resurrecting them. By turning them into new, colorful, and interesting art, I give them a second life.
Greg Justus
Early Beginnings
As the fifth of seven children raised in North Olmsted, a suburb of Cleveland, I had humble beginnings. My parents didn’t have much money, but my siblings and I always had food, clothes, and an immense amount of support from them. They encouraged us to pursue what we loved while emphasizing the importance of excelling at it and giving 110%. For me, art was my passion from the very start.
My earliest art memory is as a young child, going door-to-door in my neighborhood, selling drawings I’d created to neighbors—even though I didn’t know how to count money at the time. I vividly recall knocking on the door of an older, heavy-set woman in a muumuu dress, trying to sell her my work. She screamed at me and slammed the door in my face. That first rejection remains one of my fondest memories.
My Work
As a regionally recognized artist participating in juried art events in Ohio, Michigan, and Illinois, my art tends to be whimsical, brimming with bold colors, shapes, and forms, giving it a modern folk art feeling. Born and raised in the Midwest, surrounded by lakes and forests, I spend a lot of time outdoors, taking in the beautiful landscape views it has to offer. I have a deep connection with nature, so when painting landscapes, I use bright, expressive colors to reflect my excitement and love for the outdoors. In the Midwest, we love our flea markets, estate sales, and garage sales, so I’m always on the hunt for interesting objects—broken instruments, old windows, furniture—things that, from my perspective, have the potential to be turned into folk art.
Touch the art!
I often work with different materials to create textures and intriguing surface treatments. There’s something about seeing texture and raised surfaces in a piece that makes you want to touch it. I think a lot about that tension—how viewers are drawn to touch the artwork, yet we’re trained as children to “not touch the art.” When I create, I often incorporate found objects directly into the work to heighten that temptation. I always give permission for a viewer to touch my art if they ask as long as their hands are clean.
Repurposing Found Objects: A Reflection of Life
We live in a fast-paced world full of immediate but often fleeting gratification. Beautiful things—including people—are frequently left behind as we focus on our own needs and desires. It’s easy to attack one another, leaving dings, dents, and damage through words, social media posts, or by choosing our own desires over someone who needs help. When I see items like musical instruments or old windows that used to be externally beautiful and valuable, now discarded due to cracks, breaks, and the imperfections life has dealt them, it reminds me of how we view each other. I love taking discarded objects like these and resurrecting them. By turning them into new, colorful, and interesting art, I give them a second life.
