Justin Hess

Justin Hess was born in California in 1981. At the age of 19, he began his formal art training at Ventura College. Participating in group shows and local galleries along the way, he received the “Award of Excellence” for Figure Painting and graduated with his Associates in 2003. Trying to further his studies, Justin was accepted to the San Francisco Academy of Art University in the fall of 2003 at a junior level. He participated in group shows and was awarded “Most Improved in Fine Art Painting” during the 2005 Spring Student Exhibition. Still not satisfied with the level of training being received, he was introduced to the Florence Academy of Art by a friend, and left the SFAAU while in pursuit of his B.A. Justin entered the Florence Academy of Art in the fall of 2005 and was awarded “Best Drawing of the Year” at the end of his first year. He participated in the “2nd Annual FAA Alumni Exhibition” (2007) at the W.H. Patterson Gallery in London, and the “Young Collectors Exhibition” at Ann Long Fine Art Gallery (2008). He received his Certificate of Completion in 2008 and was awarded “Most Improved in Figure Painting” during the graduation ceremony. He has been an assistant painting instructor for summer school and has given demonstrations on pigment grinding and canvas preparation. Justin currently works and lives in Florence Italy and his paintings can be found in private collections in Europe, Australia and the United States.