Law As Our Calling

What do lawyers, abandoned farmhouses and primary colors have in common? For recent Valparaiso University Law School graduate Justin Vining, it turns out quite a lot. vining1Vining grew up on a farm near Warsaw, Indiana and was teaching elementary school art near Indianapolis when his younger brother Nathan told him he planned to take the LSAT and go to law school. Justin decided to follow suit and soon they were applying to law schools. Their main selection criteria was simple…they wanted to be together during their law school experience. They made their choice while touring the Valparaiso University School of Law. On the tour, they ran into a friend from high school that had just finished his first year of law school. After going to dinner and hearing about the amazing experience he was having and how much the faculty cared about the students, they knew Valparaiso University was the right choice.

Despite Justin’s art background, he found little time to paint during his first semester of law school. “I really wanted to earn a scholarship and was confident I could do so through my hard work…I was truly humbled when those first semester grades came in,” he said. Justin hadn’t painted much all semester due to academic pressures, but just before taking his finals that first semester, he turned to his art as a break from the long hours in the library. “I started painting as a release of pressure and painted for a week straight…I haven’t stopped since.”

Since then, Justin has sold more than 400 pieces of his work and now has over 10,000 people following him on the Internet. He has a gallery presence in Indianapolis and quickly sells out of his original pieces. He guest lectures at numerous schools and is studying for the bar exam in July. Justin and his brother, who also graduated in May, plan to open their own law firm, Vining & Vining, in Warsaw, Indiana. Their goal is to find a two-story space and convert the first floor into an art gallery and use the second floor as their law office with a focus in civil litigation.

Justin uses multiple materials in his art ranging from water color on hand-made paper to canvas, and recently, he has incorporated wood into his work. “I really want to keep things fresh and new so I continuously experiment,” he said.vining2 Justin is enjoying using wood because, “the material influences the composition of the piece…the wood grain or color of the wood itself can determine where a mountain, road or tree goes.

Justin’s early work was inspired by his upbringing on his family farm. In 1999, when he was a senior in high school, his family decided to stop farming. This event greatly influenced his initial pieces. Filled with images of beaten up, bruised, farmhouses and desolate farmland washed in cool, dark-hued colors, this work depicts the disappearance of rural America. Since then, his work has evolved both stylistically and in tone. He now favors primary colors to create bright, powerful pieces.

His latest piece titled “Law as a Calling,” may be his most interesting work to date. The nine- panel creation is made from 694 pages from his brother’s first year Civil Procedure book. Justin, 12 other law students and two friends tore, painted, cut and glued the papers to the nine 1’x3’panels, depicting rich, expressive images of Chicago and Valparaiso University. He plans to donate the piece to the Valparaiso University School of Law. “I wanted to create something impactful and bright to lighten the mood when students are studying,” he said. He added that he is proud that his work will hang at the law school because “the law school put me in the great position I am now.” Justin plans to help fund the start-up of the law firm with profits from his art sales. “My law school training and success with my art has allowed my brother and I to confidently move forward with our plans,” he said.

Justin recognizes that his artistic style is still evolving. “I know I am not producing my best work yet…I want to push myself hard and get to the next level,” he said. “When you are passionate about something, it seems to come through in your work.” Whether in the art gallery or the courtroom, it is clear that Justin truly does have a calling and will put his talent and passion for art and law to good use in the future.

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Artist site: http://www.justinvining.com