Justin Coursey was born in 1987 in Dallas, Texas and currently lives and works in Little Elm, Texas, where he maintains a full-time studio practice. He studied art at the University of North Texas, where he also met his wife, Nicole. Together, they share a creative life with their four-year-old son, Conrad.

 

His multidisciplinary practice combines drawing, painting, and sculptural surface-building, often constructing his own panels from wood. Working primarily with acrylic, ink, and nib pen, Coursey creates vibrant, illustrative compositions populated by whimsical, recurring characters with distinct features and dimensional illusions. Blending bold color, hidden linework, and playful visual trickery, his work blurs the boundary between 2D and 3D, inviting close inspection and layered interpretation.

 

Deeply influenced by his grandmother—Bernice “Nana” Landrum, a lifelong painter in Abilene, Texas—Coursey’s early exposure to gallery life and landscape painting shaped his creative foundation. Additional inspiration comes from the expressive chaos of Ralph Steadman and the narrative wit of Shel Silverstein.

 

Coursey has exhibited at premier national art festivals including the Saint Louis Art Fair, Cherry Creek Arts Festival, Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival, and Coconut Grove Arts Festival, where he has earned multiple awards. His work has gained a global following, with collectors across Saudi Arabia, Berlin, Paris, Sydney, and Switzerland. He currently engages with over 150,000 followers on Instagram, where he shares his process, new works, and creative journey.

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Artist Statement:

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​The mind tends to wander when left in silence—this space, this quiet unpredictability, is where my work begins. I never plan my pieces. They emerge as instinctive responses to the chaos inside my head. Each character, each shape and line, is a surprise to me as much as it is to the viewer. People often ask, “Why the faces?” or “Is it you?” I find myself asking the same. Perhaps it’s the subconscious—those curious corners of the mind—shaping figures that carry my features, especially that prominent nose. There’s something fascinating about the questions that have no clear answers. My work lives in that space: between recognition and imagination, precision and play.

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