Check Out Justin Holdren’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Justin Holdren.

Hi Justin, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstories.
I started drawing as a child and always wanted to be an artist. I started painting in high school and went on to art school and studied “Fundamentals of Art”. After art school, I became part owner of a start-up graphic and web design firm.

Around that time, I took a trip to Africa to visit my wife’s family who was working there at that time. We spent 6 weeks in Kenya, visited towns and villages, and went on safari several times in Tsavo, staying in lodges in the African bush. The amount of beauty and inspiration on this trip made me realize that I wanted to capture the beauty of the landscape and nature on canvas, not continue doing graphic design.

After returning home, I started working for a nonprofit and painted in the evenings and weekends and on every trip we took. I started selling my work through a few small galleries and shops as well as doing a few shows a year. As my skills grew, I started doing more and more commission work for clients across the country as well as selling my work online. I have shown in galleries in The Southeast as well and continue to sell online as well as through traditional galleries.

I also started doing illustration work and recently even licensed one of my illustrations on a limited run of shirts with a clothing company. I am now teaching art and my goal is to transition to doing my own work full time.

3 years ago I leased my dream studio in a renovated and restored mill building in the historic Glencoe Mill Village in Burlington, NC. The entire village of homes has been restored and the old mill buildings are being restored one by one for various uses. I use my studio as a working space and as a gallery for my work.

My “official” art biography and statement are below:

Artist Biography

Justin Holdren had an interest in art from an early age and his parents encouraged his creative interests. Justin began drawing as soon as he could hold a pencil and he started painting while in high school.

Upon completion of art school, he became a partner in a graphic design firm and started painting landscapes on location. After a life-changing trip to the landscapes of Africa, his interests quickly moved from commercial design work to fine art painting and capturing the beauty of the landscape.

Justin enjoys capturing the beauty of life from scenes in his home state of NC and places seen in his travels. Although mostly known for his landscapes and scenes inspired by nature and his travels, Justin also enjoys painting the beauty found in his everyday life, which could be a landscape, still life, people, or simply an abstract piece inspired by colors he finds beautiful.

Justin’s work has appeared in juried and solo exhibitions and can be found in private collections across the country. His work is represented by several galleries in the Southeast.

He travels and enjoys painting from life on location as well as painting in his studio in the historic Glencoe Mill in Burlington, NC. His oil and acrylic paintings are predominately impressionistic in style, although he does enjoy experimenting with other styles of painting.

He lives with his wife Lucinda and their two daughters in central North Carolina.

Artists Statement

“My primary goal in my work is to capture the beauty of life and make people slow down and see the beauty in things we often take for granted. If I can capture that beauty through art, and create beautiful, calming images that provide an escape and bring joy, then I’ve done my job. I hope people enjoy viewing my work as much as I enjoy creating it.”

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not always been easy. When your goal is to do mostly fine art instead of design work, it takes a lot of time and effort to grow a base of collectors and develop relationships with places to sell your work.

I recently accepted a job as an art teacher because I really want to share my art and experiences with others. It was hard at times to work a “nonart” job for many years to pay the bills and I will still be teaching to help with that, but it can feel like you have three jobs at times when trying to juggle all of those responsibilities of work, art business, and family.

I freelanced for many years thinking I would be content with that, but as I grew older I realized that I want to concentrate on my art and studio business full time, and am getting closer to that goal after years of hard work.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I have always been drawn to painting landscapes and scenes inspired by nature and landscapes are what I am mostly known for. I enjoy capturing real places as well as paintings that are totally invented, but even those are loosely inspired by places I have visited.

That being said, anything I find beautiful can become a subject of a painting. It could be work inspired by nature or landscapes, everyday objects that the light is striking a certain way, or even an abstract piece inspired by colors I find beautiful.

More recently I got back to my drawing roots and have been doing mixed media drawings on tan and gray papers and these have become really popular with my collectors. A lot of the commission works I do are these types of drawings. The black ink, markers, and white ink really pop in these colored papers and I am really proud of these new series of drawings have recently opened up many doors. One of these drawings of Bald Head Island was recently licensed by Bald Head Blues for a line of shirts, and they almost sold out of the first batch in just a few days after releasing them online.

I love the way I can connect with people through art. Maybe they just find beauty in the art or it reminds them of a special place or just provides an escape. I love that art has the power to do all of those things.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was sort of a daydreamer. I enjoyed making people laugh, and enjoyed time with my friends, but always drew imaginative worlds on paper and exploring the outdoors. I always loved being out in nature. I loved traveling as a kid and still do. I love getting inspiration by experiencing and exploring new places.

Pricing:

• Small studies starting at under $100 all the way to larger signature paintings ranging from $200-$2500
• Archival Prints starting at $25

Contact Info:

• Website: www.justinholdren.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/justinholdrenart
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/justinholdrenstudios
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/jholdrenart
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy_xDcgfgtY97lL-1lm1imw or search “Justin Holdren Studios” on YouTube