One of Lewis' first artistic memories is drawing at the Musee des Beaux Arts, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts when he was five years old. It was a very intense time politically in the cities of Quebec - quite the opposite of a child's interest in things fine and beautiful.

Lewis trained in academics including anthropology while living in Vancouver as a young adult. There, he rediscovered his visual arts passion and completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) at the Emily Carr Institute of Art + Design, now the Emily Carr University.

Moving to the Okanagan Valley in 1992, Lewis immediately took to the dry sparse geography and landscape of the prominent hills. He was captivated by the desert flora that had worked so hard for many years to optimize its biology and become acutely successful. They possess such a fighting spirit that many of the natural plants will each produce hundreds or thousands of seeds every year to ensure survival. His hat is off to these plants! The Okanagan terrain and flora is an inspiration to his visual art practice.

" When I lived deep in the cities of Montreal and Vancouver it was rare to see the tangle of development and nature. I heard about it everyday, but it was like a rumour. "

Lewis feels it is essential to reflect the true spirit of the valley as an Okanagan artist. This means awareness of history and teaching a sensitive way of seeing through art.