Donald Sykes Lewis Jr. Art in the Family

Blue Cheese by Donald S. Lewis Jr.

Every now and then you just get the urge to brag.  Donald S. Lewis is my younger brother, and a very good artist.  We grew up in Norfolk Va. in a family that encouraged the arts.  My Father and Mother both trained when I was little as portrait painters.  Dad started out in the adding machine business, but was an advid collector of paintings which he stored in my grandmother's attic.  He loaded up the attic until one day, she declared that if he didn't get them out her ceiling was going to fall in.  This thrust my father into the art business head first.  Norfolk Va. was not know for being able to support Art galleries.  But in our family, you never say never.  I was eight years old and my brother four years old.  We spent several summers helping my Mother run the Gallery, Auslew, while dad worked to make enough money for us to live.

Thus we grew up surrounded by art and artists.  In order to entertain us my Mother encouraged us to draw and paint from an early age.  She would have contest and of course we both won.  We went to museums and were constantly exposed to art through the Gallery.  We met many working artist and grew to appreciate their work.  Dad also painted in his spare time, and he restored oil paintings.

Painting of Wroton Island By Donald S. Lewis Jr.

Don went to Randolph-Macon College for his BA and received his Masters from the University of VA.  Here he met Elliott Clarke.  He later worked for my Father at Auslew Gallery Where he did restoration of art for the Gallery.  He has written about Herman Herzog for the Brandywine Museum and about Elliott Clarke, he is consitered the authority on both Artist.

Willows on Jackson Creek by Donald S. Lewis Jr.

Don kept after me to resume my painting after having my three boys.  I owe him a lot for making me resume my painting.   We both have been painting professionally for over 3o years.  Don has been painting full time for the last fifteen years.  I have to find time to paint.  We both draw a lot of satisfaction from our work.  I have to admire my younger brother for his devotion to his work and to the wide range of his work.

He currently divides his time between his home in Virginia Beach Va. and his Cottage on the side of a Mountain in Highland County Va. Near Monterey Va.