About the Artist
Brian Lewis — known worldwide as JEKS — is a self-taught graffiti artist and muralist from Greensboro, North Carolina who has become one of the most sought-after large-format portrait painters in the country. His journey to mastery started in the late '90s, when a friend from Boy Scouts introduced him to graffiti. He originally wrote JEKYL before the tag evolved to JEKS. He's been hooked ever since.
"I just fell in love with the rawness of painting a wall — even with one can of spray paint, there's nothing like it," he says.
JEKS has now painted hundreds of multi-story murals across the United States and as far as Canada, Colombia, and Croatia. His hyper-realistic monochromatic and full-color portraits are instantly recognizable — meticulous detail, smooth gradients, saturated color, and raw emotion that sets him apart in the realism field. He's a contract Monster Energy artist and has worked with major clients including Spotify, Pabst Blue Ribbon (who flew him to LA headquarters), Optimo Cigars, Warner Media, and Bleacher Report. He reps three crews: UM Crew (Unlike Most), GNK (Going Nowhere Krew), and Permanent Vacation Crew.
True to graffiti's roots, JEKS prefers to keep his face hidden in photos so the work remains the focus. As he puts it simply: "I can confidently say that graffiti saved my life."
About the Mural
A woman rendered in photorealistic precision dominates the wall. Her eyes are closed, her silver-blonde hair swept back, one hand raised to her temple in a gesture of exhaustion or contemplation. She wears a bomber jacket with pink roses blooming at the collar. Behind her, angular shapes in burgundy and black spell out a single word: CONTENT.
This is JEKS making a statement about the algorithm age.
The word "CONTENT" isn't celebration—it's critique. In an era where artists are pressured to constantly post, perform, and produce for social media, JEKS has been vocal about the toll it takes. "Likes do not equal success," he's said, "and just because something is 'performing badly' on Instagram does not mean it's a weak piece of art."
The woman's closed eyes and weary pose embody the exhaustion of having to be "on" all the time. On this wall, JEKS reminds us: murals aren't content. They're art. There's a difference.
About the Sponsor: Kendrew Development & KW Commercial
Kendrew Development Company and KW Commercial Inland Empire represent the vision of Dan Richards, a commercial real estate developer and broker who has made Ontario his base of operations — and his life's work.
The name Kendrew comes from something personal: Richards named his development company after his own children. From his Ontario headquarters, Richards has created over 45 successful LLCs that have purchased, developed, owned, and managed commercial projects throughout the Inland Empire and across the country.
What sets Kendrew apart is dual expertise: Richards is both a broker AND a developer, offering clients everything from 1031 exchanges to trust and endowment investments to charitable remainder trusts. As Chairman of the Board of KW Commercial Inland Empire, Richards leads a team that's part of Keller Williams Realty — the number one real estate company in the United States.
Kendrew Development is also a disabled veteran, minority-owned firm — a distinction that speaks to Richards' commitment to bringing diverse perspectives to commercial real estate. Sponsoring a mural in Downtown Ontario isn't just marketing for Kendrew — it's investing in the streetscape of a city they've helped build.