Justin Richel is an artist working in the combined practice of painting and sculpture, with an interest in trickster mythologies, simulacra and perception.

Richel grew up in New Jersey and later moved to Maine where he received a BFA in printmaking from the Maine college of art and design and later studied the technique of icon painting at the Franciscan Monastery in Kennebunk, Maine. Justin brings with him an extensive knowledge of building and materials, having worked in various construction trades including restoring Victorian homes, carpentry and woodworking. Justin moved to New Mexico in 2016 and has since worked closely with fellow artists to help facilitate their projects through all stages of concept, design, and execution, building substrates and problem solving. He has been awarded residencies at the Fine Arts Work Center, Monhegan Artist Residency, Kohler Arts & Industry, and RAIR. His work is held in the collections of the Portland Museum of Art, the John Michael Kohler Art Center, Kohler Co., and Fidelity Investments. He has exhibited widely at numerous museums and art centers including the Wadsworth Atheneum, DeCordova Sculpture Park & Museum, Ogunquit Museum of American Art, Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Fitchburg Art Museum, and Institute of Contemporary Art at MECA&D.