Lewis Andrews/ Spring Issue

Lewis Andrews moved to Leeds in 2016 to study a BA(Hons) in Fine Art at Leeds Arts University. After graduating in 2019, Lewis continues to work in Leeds. In 2022, Lewis completed his Postgraduate Fine Arts Degree also at Leeds Arts University, graduating with a Masters Degree in the Creative Arts. During his Master’s Degree, Lewis’s practice became deeply focused on the methodology of translating information and data from sources within science into artworks. Lewis has continued to work and build upon this method in his work constructing a theory of working called ‘The Informative Encounter’.

Since 2019, Lewis has participated in 100+ exhibitions across the UK and internationally with many notable achievements. Lewis held his first solo show '186,000mi/s' whilst studying at Leeds Arts University in 2018 at Wharf Chambers, Leeds, UK. Lewis was one of the artists picked to participate in the Aon Community Art Awards program 2019 running through 2021 with his oceanic sublime photography work displayed in Aon Headquarters, London. In November 2020, Lewis was selected to participate in the Mayes Creative Watching the Sun: Virtual Residency alongside other artists interested in astronomy and ancient astrology. Lewis participated in two more virtual arts-science residences with Mayes Creative. work from the residency was included in a publication that now resides within the Royal Astronomy Society Archive. Lewis joined Mayes Creative again for their January 2024 residency in the Cot Valley, Cornwall, UK. Lewis has formed strong relations with the Brazilian art organisation Artlymix and the Georgian-based gallery Collect Art. As of present, Lewis has featured in 16+ exhibitions with Artlymix in Sao Paulo, Brazil and 12+ of Collect Art's publications & Digital exhibitions as of July 2024 to name a few of his achievements.

‘Breathing Beings’ & ‘Story of Elapsed Time & Absorption’

The ‘Breathing Beings’ & ‘Story of Elapsed Time & Absorption’ drawings offer a visual investigation into the multiple breathing organisms populating our planet. Stemming from the investigations into carbon-based life on our planet, these drawings often think of the Earth as a complex breathing machine of nature with multiple carbon-based components regulating the gases in our atmosphere. Alongside the investigations into the carbon building blocks of these organisms, the drawings also highlight the delicate nature of our planet and the need to protect trees and forests.

‘Story of Elapsed Time & Absorption’ encapsulates within the time it takes to produce the drawing the same time that millions of trees within the northern hemisphere absorb vast amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere and ‘exhale’ Oxygen. During the Winter months, these forests remain dormant. However, during the summer they act like a giant machine and clear a large amount (not all though) of the CO2 within the atmosphere. Our planet turns into one giant organic breathing machine. Created during the summer months, within the time it takes me to paint the lines within the tree rings, more CO2 has been absorbed from the atmosphere. The Carbon from the CO2 will be stored within the wood and tree rings during photosynthesis. It is clear, there is a desperate need to retain our forests to maintain our planetary paradise and the health of our planet’s lungs.