DIRECTOR Miles Lewis
Miles Lewis is a steady-working goofball with a wry affect and a strong sense of civic duty and the value of mentorship. In addition to directing the Valley Art Workshop, he is a public artist, freelance illustrator, event portraitist, and fine art painter. The breadth and depth of his interests and techniques translate directly to the substance of what he teaches, providing students with a uniquely rich art educational experience. He grew up in a family of entertainers in LA's San Fernando Valley with 4 great passions: Art, education, critical/creative thinking, and environmental stewardship.These loves have woven themselves into a few different forms over the years.
At 19, Miles took over operation of Valley Art Institute, the college-prep art studio he attended, and has been running some form of these classes ever since. In 2009 it was called Valley Art Studio School. In 2013, it became the Valley Print Studio. In 2016, the Valley Art Workshop.
Miles has exhibited in group shows around the world and has taken on a few residencies: Elsewhere Studios in Paonia CO, 55 ltd etching workshop in Berlin, Germany, and the Camera Obscura in Santa Monica.He spent a number years as a printmaker, having master-printed with artists, given lectures at institutions around Southern California, and lead workshops in traditional and contemporary techniques.
In 2017, Miles became a zero waste educator and general environmental advocate, working weekends as a portrait artist. In 2021 (and beyond), with new ventures in public art, Miles is still refining and combining his passions with an eye towards a fairly simple objective: Educating, illustrating, and advocating for a world that prioritizes human creativity and environmental mindfulness.
Two zoom watercolor workshops that Miles taught in association with 11:11 A Creative Collective and environmental org partners: