Guy of the Month: Justin Barnes

Editor’s Note: Our October “Guy of the Month” was submitted by the lovely Alea Lawson Barnes, Justin’s wife.

Justin!

Name: “JB”
Age: 35
Likes: Motocross, MX vs ATV Reflex on Xbox Live, Collecting watches, Painting, Tattoos & Fine-dining.
Dislikes: Big-Headed People (I’m SO serious about this. Lol! There are few things that he "dislikes" in this world, but this is definitely one of them.) Ed. Note: I’m not sure if Alea means people with big egos or actually big heads. Either way, hilarious

Justin Barnes aka "JB", owner of JB Grafix Custom Painting, Inc., has been featured on Discovery Channel's American Chopper, which highlighted a number of his well-known designs, including The POW-MIA Bike, The Fire Bike, The I-Robot Bike, The Comanche, The Snap-On Bike and many, many more. Justin has done custom work with Gibson Guitars, Harley-Davidson, Nintendo North America, Fly Helmets, PPG Paints, Armed Forces Entertainment and several other high profile clients.

Justin started racing motocross at age 15, and soon started to dabble with painting. At age 16, Justin painted race helmets for himself and his friends out of his bedroom. When word-of-mouth spread of Justin's unique and talented artwork, he moved his growing business out of his bedroom and into a 16 square-foot shed in his parents' backyard, where he used a gas grill to stay warm. (Don't try that at home)…

Alea and Justin. They're kind of a big deal.

With a lot of hard work, passion and determination the painting business continued to grow too large for any shed. Justin rented himself a one-car garage, set up shop and officially established JB Grafix in 2001, at the age of 26. Justin has never had professional training when it comes to paint, technique or styles. He has created his own unique style through experimentation, making and learning from mistakes, teaching himself and settling for nothing less than perfection when it comes to his profession.

One of his greatest pleasure with his humbling success is the ability to help inspire young artists pursue their dreams. Justin volunteers and dedicates many days out of the year to helping students across the United States, by speaking, doing public announcements, demonstrations, appearances, and attending the annual National Skills USA competition. For more info, check out jbgrafix.com or Justin’s Facebook page.

Ed. Note: See people? This is what happens when you nominate – great things. Submissions can be made to nomadblog.wordpress@gmail.com. Thanks Alea!