Lew Shortridge
An American Artist
Lew was an accomplished artist who expressed himself in surrealism, pop art, abstract and other styles. Over the course of his life he created a large body of work, much of which we have no record. He continuously painted until the day he died on July 7, 2020. He was 81. He lived in Goodyear, Arizona for his last seventeen years with his family. The work shown here highlights this period of his life. He previously owned and ran The Village Gallery on the island of Kauai, Hawaii for nine years with his wife Annette.
Lew was born in 1939 in the now nonexistent town of Ray, Arizona and grew up in a little city called Phoenix. He was attending art school and eventually joined the US Air Force. After a serious car accident he was honorably discharged and during his recovery he continued to pursue art. He went back to school to obtain degrees in commercial art, architectural engineering, and a doctorate in philosophy.
Lew lived and worked in Saudi Arabia, the Marshall Islands, the Bahamas, and eventually Hawaii in 1995. He loved living in the islands. During Lew's years in Hawaii he established himself as one the leading contemporary surrealists. Lew and Annette owned a successful studio gallery in Hanapepe, Kauai, where they were pivotal in revitalizing the art district after hurricane Inike. He relocated to his home state of Arizona in 2003, where his work began to evolve in exciting ways. He began to create meaningful abstract pieces reflecting his love of music, food, poetry, humor, and God. He said his paintings always came to him in his dreams.
