Steve Justice

Steve Justice was born in the steel town of Homestead, in Pittsburgh, in 1956 (Monkey/ Gemini) during a period of labor unrest for both his mother and for Homestead. His father was a mighty steel engineer -- he once carved a working locomotive from a single ingot of steel, using only a hacksaw and a bastard file. Justice’s mother was 100% Finnish, with a literary bend and some artistic aptitude. Justice subsequently grew up using both hemispheres of his brain. He learned how to apply this laterization with years of study at Pittsburgh’s  Carnegie Institute, under the tutelage of Joseph C.  Fitzpatrick (Warhol’s teacher and mentor). This was followed by Industrial Design training (with some Art History and fine art electives) at the University of Cincinnati, where he made the Dean’s list 10 times and won a scholarship.  This led Justice to a successful and gratifying career as a product designer around the Rust Belt and beyond, designing products for consumer and commercial customers (Coca-Cola drinkware, 2002 Olympic torch, etc.), while creating thousands of manufacturing jobs. But he craved a bigger beauty. Steve began oil painting in 1985, at first part-time, then eventually full-time, and he has stayed that course ever since. Making that transition led him to more than 183 exhibitions (17 solo), awards, and dozens of sales. His art may be free-wheeling and eccentric, but Justice has absorbed a lot of professionalism from his design days, and he’s very well aware of an artist’s position of responsibility. Steve now lives in Cincinnati with his wife, the internationally recognized design educator, Dr. Lorraine Justice, following stops in Rochester NY, Hong Kong, Atlanta, Columbus, and NE Ohio.