PETER WAYNE LEWIS was born in Kingston, Jamaica, immigrating to Sacramento, California with his parents in 1962, and becoming an American citizen in1983. He received his M.A.in Painting from San Jose State University in California and was a tenured Professor of Painting at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston for 25 years, including a stint as Chairman of the Department. He maintains an ambitious studio practice, splitting his time between the New York Metro area and Beijing, China, where he is also the Director of Oasis Gallery-Beijing.

Peter’s influences are global, ranging from his early attraction to Japanese prints to a lifelong interest in music, the legacy of his jazz-pianist father. More recently, he has become intrigued by theoretical cosmology and quantum physics, especially string theory, a concept that has pushed his work into new territory, notably in the series Buddha Plays Monk. His expansive abstract language negotiates a balance between spontaneity and precise control - an amalgam that offers an intense intellectual and visual experience.

Peter has exhibited extensively in the US, Africa, Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Recent solo exhibitions include Scully Tomasko Foundation in New York City 2024; The Delaware Contemporary (2019-2020) in Wilmington, DE; a survey of paintings produced in his studio in Beijing at UCCA - Ullens Center of Contemporary Art in Beijing (curated by Philip Tinari, 2016); and MOCA-North Miami (2015) as well as gallery exhibitions on three continents. Upcoming exhibitions include a group exhibition at AAEF Museum, titled “Encoded Gestures: Dialogues in the Third Space; PETER WAYNE LEWIS + HUANG RUI + BODO KORSIG,” in Shanghai, China, curated by Juan Puntes, Founder of WHITEBOX, New York, NY, from May 16 to September 30, 2026 and PAHM-Pan African Heritage Museum Accra, Ghana 2027. His work is in numerous public and private collections in the U.S. and abroad.