COURTESY JUSTIN ELLIS

Justin Ellis went from homeless to artist-in-residence and gallery artist at Sozo Gallery.

Pursuing art full time did not come easily for Justin Ellis.

The Charlotte native stepped away in 2017 when he was homeless at age 27 in Durham. The two-month period he and his then-girlfriend lived in transition was enough for him to put aside his passion and focus on finding a consistent paycheck. They returned to their new Charlotte apartment on Feb. 13, 2017, and four years later, Ellis is a full-time artist.

In June 2020, Ellis stopped by Brooklyn Collective (229 S. Brevard St.), because something in his soul told him to paint three wooden panels covering broken windows. He met Jason Wolf, who owns three buildings that make up the Brooklyn Collective, Kevin and Monique Douglas, who own and operate Studio 229, which is inside. Monique is also the director of community engagement for Brooklyn Collective.

“They took interest in, ‘what possessed you to keep coming here?’” Ellis said. “‘How do you possibly have the time to just come here and just paint?’”

Ellis, like many people, lost his job due to the pandemic. His journey transitioned to a Brooklyn Collective artist-in-residence and gallery artist with Sozo Gallery, which collaborates with Brooklyn Collective on art shows.

“It's just been different to show somebody my portfolio versus my resume, because I'm so used to working, for someone to actually appreciate my artwork and see the beauty in it just raised my confidence,” said Ellis, a mixed media artist. “That is what they continue to do every day is nurture me and build my confidence and I can’t ask for more.”

Ellis, a Northwest School of the Arts alumnus, earned a degree in graphic design from the Art Institute of Raleigh-Durham. He also studied marketing at North Carolina Central University.

Taking the leap
Ellis decided to pursue art full time in October 2020. He was working at Michael’s and was informed his schedule was a conflict.

“They told me to choose between the studio and them,” Ellis said. “Something in my spirit told me, ‘you can do this.’”

His spirit was right. Ellis is now a resident artist at “Immersive Van Gogh” at Camp North End through Sept. 22. He will also be featured in “Reconstructing Deconstruction,” a collaboration between Brooklyn Collective and Sozo Gallery, which runs at Brooklyn Collective Aug. 27-Jan. 2. He has also been featured at Sozo Gallery and the Light Factory. His first solo exhibition opened on Jan. 10 at Sozo gallery.

“Out of 48 pieces, over half of them sold that day,” Ellis said. “It was the kickstart to my year.”

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