Born in 1972 in Hartford Connecticut, Justin Maas is primarily a portrait and figural painter specializing in dry media like Graphite, Charcoal and Pastel.

While many would describe my work as realistic or traditional, the main focus of my paintings is the concept of light. Technical skill is certainly a part of my craft but I believe that the real key to creating art is to elevate it beyond pure ability or skillful use of a brush. Regardless of the subject, style or media, the one thing that ties any of my paintings or drawings together is an attempt to translate what we see as lights (and darks) into a 2 dimensional piece.