OSMOND — A new business — Lew Crew Creations — will open in Osmond on Saturday, May 30, with an open house in the former American Legion building on 4th Street.
Lew Crew Creations is owned by Adam and Ericka Lewon. Adam is an Osmond High School graduate with the Class of 2006. He then attended Dana College and graduated from Midland University with a bachelors degree in art.
After college, Adam moved to Lincoln and started selling cars, which he did for about 10 years, he said. He dabbled a little bit with art but not a lot, he said, because he was so busy at his job.
Ericka was born in Fort Wayne, IN. Her father’s company manufactured metal buildings, so she said she moved around a lot. She went to high school in Mississippi and college at Mississippi State University where she majored in psychology. Her last year there, she got an internship to go to UNL where she was in the psychology and law research program for undergrads, and decided to stay in Lincoln, where she met Adam. The couple was married in 2018.
Ericka works at a health tech company called Fusion, working with electronic health records, and after they were married and started their family, she told Adam he should get out of the car business so he could spend more time at home. So he started working for the health tech company as well. After their daughter Anzley was born, he and his wife started doing “pancakes and painting.”
He started doing more painting, but didn’t sell much, but once a week, they would eat pancakes and then paint together.
“It was a good way to keep Anzley entertained, and us engaged in conversation,” Ericka said.
“We might incorporate that here as well,” Adam said, speaking of the “pancakes and painting,” but he also stressed that “It’s not a pancake feed!”
In 2023, the family moved to Osmond. They had their son, Elijah in 2022, and being far from family, they had a lot to manage as they were living on an acreage at that time.
“So we had our hands full and we needed to evaluate what was important to us and our future and our kids,” Ericka said. “And [it was] being closer to family in a smaller community where we felt connected.”
Since then, Adam has been updating their house on Logan Street, just a half block away from the old Legion building.
He mentioned the fact that Ed Hoppe was talking about building a new place for his business, andAdam thought, “If he can do it, I think I’ll give it a try.”
So he called Ericka and said “What do you think about opening an art studio and creative space for people to come in?”
So he found out the American Legion was looking to sell its building, so they looked at it and about a week later, they put the offer in, “and here we are!”
That was late last year, and since then Adam has been working on renovations in the old building.
Ericka works from home, which makes it convenient for her to be there for the couple's two kids, Anzley, five, and Elijah, three, but she will also help out with some classes.
Ericka helps with the decision-making with the business, and has some projects she is working on, including holding some of the classes in the art studio. Before meeting Adam, Ericka said she would not have thought of herself as artistic.
“But since meeting Adam, he has brought out that creativity,” she said. “When you think of art, you think of something that is rigid and designed, but he has made me see that art is just about creative expression.”
Adam works mostly with acrylics when he paints, but says he does “anything and everything,” including photography and pottery. He is getting into laser engraving now as well, and has done T-shirts, keychains, koozies, etc. so that is something else that they offer.
He has sold some of his artwork, mainly to family and friends so far, including some of the paintings, but some of his other projects as well. Right now, the studio is lined with paintings he has done, and he hopes to sell some — so he can make more!
Adam wanted to let people know that painting is not all that they do.
“We know that creation can happen in a lot of different ways,” Ericka said. "We will offer that in the first couple months of classes — exploring different things you can paint on, ways to express yourself. We even have a watercolor option. Sketching, of course, is at the foundation of a lot of different design. And crafting as well. At the end of July we will have a bracelet and keychain making class.”
Ericka and Adam both will be holding classes most nights, for most skill levels, so one doesn’t need to have a lot of experience or technical talent in LEW CREW CREATIONS TO OPEN ON SATURDAY
Ericka (left) and Adam Lewon stand in front of some of their creations, including their logo and the Tiger emblem that Adam painted while he attended Osmond High School.
in order to participate, they said.
Adam said that, to begin with, during the day will have open studio time so if anybody wants to come in and do whatever they are interested in, there will be minimal supervision — just come in and paint, draw, do crafts.
Then in the evenings, they will have the guided classes where students will have a specific task that he will assist with.
The first week, he said, is geared more for kids. His daughter named it “press and seal” where they will have an 8x10 canvas, squirt paint on it, and then put press and seal on it.
There will be different themes each week, and people can come in any day of the week to participate in that week's theme. They will try to encourage registration, though, Ericka said, so that they have enough supplies for everyone. They will also have seasonal themes for various holidays.
Adam said they will figure things out as they go along.
Adam said their main goal is for people to think differently, and to have fun. He said it's for kids too,
not just for adults.
"Especially having kids, this is to get them to think a little bit differently, and to look at things differently." The couple recently went to Bran- son, MO, with the kids and walked around doing a "photo walk," where they picked a color, found things of that color and took pictures, so they had to look down, look around, "it just gets them geared toward looking at different things.” They went through several different colors, and got the kids thinking creatively and "outside the box. That's what I'm most excited about — just to get people in and, hopefully, enjoy it.”
Photography classes are one of the things that Adam hopes to have in the future.
"I would just add that, especially in the early days when we were creating
and doing art with the kids, the things that we learned about ourselves and learned about the kids in those mo - ments," Ericka added, "So creating this opportunity for people to connect in a different way, and families to learn things about themselves by doing something different and new - I know when we think about the future, Adam would like to do a color -
ing book, I would like to write some children's books - the things we learn
about ourselves in the journey of art.”
They hope that a kiln with the pot tery wheel will be in their future as well, and then some other ideas that Ericka said they weren't quite ready
to solidify yet.
Ericka added that with it being the former Legion building, “what can we do for veterans, what can we do for people who have served our community in different ways, and seniors - keeping your brain sharp."
Adam mentioned quilting, which is also an art, and Ericka said she would love for people to have a space where they can display their art.
“We are always willing to support other artists," she said. "I have no clue how to quilt, so if someone wants to come in and have a class, we would invite them to come do that.”
"We are definitely blessed and
grateful to have this opportunity. So instead of putting my art in a gallery, I just made my own gallery," Adam laughed.
One of the projects that will take place on opening day is a community mural, where each person will paint a small canvas to be added to the mural, which will probably be displayed in the studio.
Lew Crew Creations will hold their grand opening Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the former American Legion building at 116 W. 4th St. In addition to the mural activity, there will be a silent auction. See ad on Page 3 of this issue for more information.
