Justin Poole is a Los Angeles-based actor, visual artist, teacher, and theatre maker.
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After attaining the academic title of full professor at EMU in Virginia, where he served since 2013 and directed the theatre program since 2018, Justin and his family decided to embark on a new adventure by relocating to sunny California!
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While at EMU Justin co-founded and co-directed the EMU Summer Musical Theatre Program. He and his wife Amanda also led semester-long performance and visual art-themed study abroad programs to Europe and Morocco.
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Traveling is the greatest source of inspiration for Justin's performance and visual art. He continues to hone his skills by engaging with performances and performers wherever he travels. He frequently observes and sketches the works of the masters at some of his favorite European art museums, especially Vienna, Austria's Kunsthistorisches Museum.
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While in Harrisonburg Justin was the Artist-In-Residence at Asbury United Methodist Church, where he managed the gallery space, networked with and supported local artists, and sought to integrate art and faith.
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Justin holds a Ph.D. in Theatre and Performance Studies from the University of Maryland, College Park, an MA in Theatre Arts from Villanova University, and a BA in Communications from Eastern University. He has received numerous Certificates of Merit from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival for his directing and theatre-making and has received a number of grants from organizations such as Austria's Ernst Mach Foundation, The Arts Council of the Valley, The Marpeck Foundation, and more.
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Justin is excited to serve as an Itinerate Theatre Teacher for the Los Angeles Unified School District and to make great art with the people in his new community!
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ARTIST STATEMENT
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Much of my visual art functions as a travelogue, highlighting interesting sites I visit. For each painting, I usually use a photo or a variety of photos and sketches as references, as I complete the paintings in my studio. I often omit certain objects and add or highlight others,while embellishing the colors and allowing my own romanticised notions of the locations to shine through. Some of the works are city scapes of places in Europe and Morocco, which avid travelers might readily recognize. Yet others are of more intimate, or out of the way places. Oftentimes, the different tastes and smells of a location come to define it in my mind; therefore, my work also features still lifes. Each of these pictures has a story. For those who have traveled to the places represented here, I hope that these images evoke happy memories. For those who have not traveled extensively, I hope that my paintings spark your interest and cause you to seek out adventures of your own. I am always looking for new challenges and happily accept commissions. If you would like me to paint a picture of one of your favorite locations, feel free to contact me.