Justin Lyons
Justin Lyons (b. 1979) credits his introduction to the world of street art as “the spark” that led him to pursue his own form of artistic expression. After moving from the Orlando area to the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida, Lyons was invited by a friend to go wheatpasting one night, placing paper images and drawings throughout the urban landscape. As Lyons describes it, “Something happened to me that night. Something that has had one of the most impactful influences on my life. What I found out was that people who saw our stuff on the streets were confused, shocked, excited, even mad sometimes. It was then that I realized art didn't have to be limited to museums or to the stark-white walls of galleries. I discovered that art could also find its way into the urban landscape and still be powerful.” Producing art that was raw, expressive, loose, and risky gave Lyons an outlet for his creative impulses and a new way to communicate with an audience. With this newly discovered voice, he began painting on found pieces of wood and installing them throughout town on trees, telephone poles, and other unexpected surfaces. What began as an effort to recapture a youthful sense of freedom soon developed into a more serious artistic practice, with Lyons’s works often posing questions or offering fragments of a larger message. Passersby began removing the paintings from the streets, and while some disappeared or were destroyed, others found their way into homes and businesses. Over the following years, Lyons became increasingly committed to his studio practice. Inspired by artists including Cy Twombly, Barry McGee, and Jean-Michel Basquiat, he refined a visual language that remained spontaneous and expressive while becoming increasingly thoughtful and layered. He began exhibiting beyond the streets, building relationships within the regional arts community and presenting his work in exhibitions, festivals, and galleries. Today, Lyons works with materials including wood, acrylic, house paint, spray paint, oil stick, epoxy resin, and pencil, combining imagery and language to explore thoughts and emotions surrounding the human condition. Often beginning with a word, phrase, or passing thought, he builds compositions whose fragmented images and text suggest narratives without fully resolving them, allowing viewers to form their own connections to the work. Lyons seeks to create art that is honest, raw, vulnerable, and approachable, with an emotional impact that remains with the viewer long after an initial encounter. Based in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, Lyons is also committed to his local community and has regularly donated work in support of nonprofit organizations and fundraising initiatives. When he is not painting, he enjoys skateboarding, surfing, and being a father. In 2025, Lyons’s work was featured at the Torrance Art Museum in Baker’s Dozen, a survey exhibition highlighting thirteen artists whose practices made a significant impression on the museum’s curators.
Available Works
2020
Mixed Media on Canvas
72 x 60 inches (182.9 × 152.4 cm)
2025
Mixed media on canvas
60 x 56 inches (152.4 × 142.2 cm)
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