Daniel Jordan 
The Artist Behind Those Popular Paintings Lives Right Here
(CLAIR | Simi Valley, CA ) — Here’s something most people don’t know: Dennis Patrick Lewan, whose paintings hang in homes and galleries around the world, has lived in Simi Valley for years. While his art reaches collectors across continents, he’s still right here — working, painting, and living an ordinary local life with extraordinary talent.
Lewan’s paintings look like moments you could walk into — small towns lit by lamplight, water glimmering at sunset, windows that seem alive. His training in architecture gives every piece structure, while his classical influences give them heart. You’ve probably seen his work without realizing it — on calendars, puzzles, and fine art prints that have made their way into living rooms everywhere.
What’s remarkable is how far that art has traveled — and how much of it started right here, in our town.
Born in 1948 in the Midwest, Lewan’s story began in Wisconsin. He started sketching as a child, often losing track of time in his notebooks. That early fascination never faded. By his twenties, he was studying architecture in Chicago and painting late into the night — developing the precise, layered style that defines his work today.
In the years that followed, his paintings began appearing in galleries across the country. Collectors were drawn to his mix of realism and imagination, scenes that felt both grounded and otherworldly. By the 1980s, his work had found an international audience, and soon after, his images were being reproduced as collectible prints, puzzles, and calendars. One of his best-known works, The Barrister’s Mansion, even earned him the Collector’s Edition Award of Excellence in 1997 — a national honor voted on by fine art collectors across North America (https://www.artlicensing.com/artists/dennis-lewan/).
Even with that success, Lewan’s approach never changed. He still paints every day — not as an act of production, but of purpose. His compositions often start with architectural sketches and light studies, then grow into complex, emotionally rich scenes. “I try to create a place where people feel peace,” he once said in an interview. “A world they’d want to step into.”
That quiet sense of place may be why his art feels so at home in Simi Valley. Surrounded by hills, history, and light that shifts with the seasons, this city mirrors the balance in his paintings — structure and calm, growth and reflection.
Simi Valley resident Larry Borovay, who met Lewan in 1992 and later represented him at art shows in New York and Chicago, says that connection is what makes his work timeless. “You don’t forget seeing Dennis’s work,” Borovay says. “People feel something the second they look at it — like they’ve been there before.”
Now, Borovay is organizing a local meet-and-greet where residents can see Lewan’s paintings up close and talk with the artist himself — a rare opportunity to connect with a creator whose work has reached far beyond Ventura County but remains rooted here.
Lewan’s story is part of what makes Simi Valley quietly remarkable. This city isn’t just growing in size — it’s growing in stories like his. The kind that remind you how much creativity, talent, and heart live right here — sometimes just down the street.
