Justin Gaffrey: 30A Art for Your Home or Office

We often have new home owners asking us where they can find beautiful local art to complement their home or investment, and the first name that comes to mind is Justin Gaffrey. Today, we profile this local painter from the beaches of South Walton who now enjoys national acclaim. Believe it or not, Justin hasn’t always been an artist. For many years he was a local restaurant owner and chef, and one day in 2000 a primitive Caribbean folk style painting caught his eye and intrigued him so much he decided to paint something just like it!

After the piece sold in just one week, Justin realized that with art, there are many ways to express your creativity, whether it be the culinary variety he was so familiar with, or through the furniture he was creating. Once he had picked up that paintbrush, there was no going back! Justin studied the works of great painters such as Monet and Van Gogh to observe their technique, and actually credits a viewing of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” for the inspiration that would allow him to achieve the deeply textured, multi-dimensional work he crafts today. Painting things that were once just normal everyday sights became a common practice, and some days Justin would paint for 12 hours.

Justin’s style is primarily folk and primitive art, mainly consisting of pure acrylic paints. In fact some call his work “sculpting with paint” and he does this perfectly with the use of colors representing the local land and waterscapes of Northwest Florida. Justin’s work is bold, vibrant and unique, and he is most certainly one of South Walton’s most original and renowned artists.

See Justin Gaffrey’s work at his studio/gallery in Blue Mountain Beach and his gallery in Seaside. For more information, visit Justin’s official website.