The Lewis Story

Founder of the hugely successful Porter’s Paints, Peter has been experimenting and innovating in the Australian paint community for more than 30 years. After a brief sojourn from the industry, he is now pursuing a longstanding mission to make eco-friendly, plant-based paints using natural pigments. Better for our health and the health of our environment.

Peter believes that Mother Nature is by far the most intelligent and creative artist there is, and in many ways, Peter Lewis Paints is an homage to her — as well as to past and future generations.

1930s

Builder, Fred Porter, takes a tour of Europe, collecting building techniques and paint recipes in a diary during his travels.

1982

Peter Lewis, Fred’s grandson, and a painter himself, finds his grandfather’s diaries and is particularly excited about the handwritten traditional paint recipes.

1982

Peter starts experimenting and refining the recipes, starting with the traditional limewashes characteristic of Italy.

1984

Peter starts Porter’s Paints in Sydney, which expands to 9 stores across the country and 120 distributors, before he steps away from the business in 2016.

2018

Whilst living for a year in Italy, doing up an old farmhouse on an estate in Puglia, Peter rekindles his passion for natural paints and starts sourcing mineral pigments from quarries around the world.

2020

Peter purchases a beautiful, traditional triple-roller mill and transports it to a factory in one of Sydney’s industrial zones in Rydalmere. He affectionately names it Fred, after his late grandfather.

2022

After many happy hours in the lab and factory perfecting colours and unique non-toxic paint formulas, Peter Lewis Paints is ready to supply Australia’s most natural paint products — made from the earth, for the earth.