Artist Jeffery Keith speaks his own language.
He also speaks fast—in a sort of hyperactive staccato banter, spurting words and ideas the same way he likes to splash paint across large scale canvas using concrete tools in lieu of brushes, in one fell, do-or-die swoop.
Keith’s primary language is color—but when it comes to describing his own work and what he believes color itself can achieve, he tends to invent new words (like “pronodystopia”) and isn’t afraid to drop a few f-bombs for emphasis. Keith has been speaking the language of color for over 20 years as an adjunct art professor at the University of Denver School of Art and Art History and business consultant (www.colormeansbusiness.com). His work has been represented at museums, galleries and in private collections nationwide and abroad.
It’s not surprising the Denver-based artist has to break convention when it comes to semantics. He approaches his large scale abstract paintings in much the same way, forgoing the standard paintbrush for concrete scrapers he buys at Home Depot, and using canvas made from linen, birch bark and Mylar to create broad strokes of color with an aggressive approach that requires some serious commitment. “When I load up that bar with paint and pull it across the canvas I have to get it in one swoop,” Keith says. “You don’t get a second chance. You have to live with your mark.”
Keith first came to Steamboat as an artist in residence at Oehme Graphics and then for an exhibit and gallery talk at K. Saari Gallery. “The depth he’s able to put into his paintings with color and movement is amazing. There are stories in those paintings,” says Kimberly Saari, who has since closed her gallery and is now working full time as a Broker Associate at Steamboat Sothebys. “He uses colors that I don’t think there are names for. The variation of depth and movement he’s able to get into his work is like a song,” Saari says. “He’s constantly pushing himself as an artist, but still keeping within the same aesthetics he’s known for.”
Keith is currently exhibiting a series of his pieces, “Turner Blue #1” and “Turner Blue #2” at Steamboat Sotheby’s as part of an ongoing art fund that aims to foster Steamboat’s creative communities by creating a connection with global opportunities. Keith describes these two 30” x 30” oil on birch paintings as “being all about misty light and fog” and working with more subtle, complimentary colors like light blue, indigo gray and orange. “My experience in Steamboat was about that misty color. I love those moments when the clouds move and things appear and disappear,” Keith says. “What I love about being in the mountains is the water you encounter is so rare and so clear. ‘Turner Blue’ is all about that.’”
To learn more about the artist, visit Jeffreykeith.com