Meet Jeffree Lerner | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jeffree Lerner and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jeffree, what are you inspired by?
I am inspired by all of the creative beauty within nature and the world around me. I am also inspired by the idea of bringing joy and happiness in to people’s daily lives by the art i make.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started painting when I was 21 living in the North Georgia mountains. I knew immediately it was what I had to do for the rest of my life. It was not always easy to sell enough art to support myself, so I began to explore other avenues of selling other than just the standard gallery or store. I really got started in Atlanta selling on the street in little five points a little under 20 years ago. As time went on, I started a family and needed to support them through the work I do. I began to do more festivals and sell at more stores..
It took time to develop a style that was very recognizable, and received by the most amount of people. I believe to be successful as an artist, you need to figure out what you enjoy making, and what people want to buy. Overtime, I believe I have honed in on that, and that has led me to sell lots of art over the years.
I want people to know that most of them have creativity within them, and deep down inside very much enjoy expressing that part of them selves. Many are insecure or don’t feel that they can do some thing with their creative abilities. I’d like to encourage people to express themselves in the creative ways that bring them joy. And if they feel like they dream of being an artist, to remember that there is no good and bad art essentially. Everyone likes something different. and what you make may be, someone’s favorite art, and that same person may not like the most popular artist of the time.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I would definitely take a friend visiting the city to my favorite Indian restaurant, madras mantra. Afterwords, I would probably take them to the Atlanta botanical gardens to look at all of the beautiful plants and flowers. Next, I would take them to Aurora coffee, and Little five points for the best cappuccino in town. We would walk around and check out the stores in that area, and would maybe take a walk in Piedmont Park, or down the trail in freedom Park.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Homegrown restaurant in East Atlanta

Instagram: @jeffreelernerart