Justin was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1983. In high school he was first exposed to the use of computer for making art, and won a Gold Key in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards with one of his first digital pieces.

In the fall of 2001, he started his freshman year at Virginia Tech, and took his first oil painting course in the spring. He graduated with a BFA as the outstanding senior in studio art in 2005.

Justin currently lives and works in New York City, where he has participated in in several residencies in the city as well as group shows around the country and a solo show in Manhattan. He has maintained his relationship with Scholastic and has been a juror for the National Art and Writing Awards. Justin has also been a part of several Mountain Lake Workshops, and in 2013 he was co-director of the workshop for Jessie Mann and Liz Liguori.