Josh Keyes
Josh Keyes is an artist with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. He grew up in Tacoma, Washington and currently lives in Portland, Oregon. His academic career took him to Chicago where he attended the Institute of Art and design then to Yale where he was a post-graduate student of drawing and painting.
He became widely known for his work which incorporates sectional landscape pedestals upon which a multitude of natural world/man-made world interactions are played out against a white backdrop.. This politically grounded work which focused heavily on our impact upon the environment as well as social issues was dark in theme but immensely intelligent in terms of communicating a very clear message.
His body of work has navigated a fairly dramatic shift over the past couple of years. In his newer works the scenarios are set within full landscapes. They maintain the crisp detail and almost photo-realistic quality of his earlier paintings but thematically they convey a broader emotional spectrum, inclusive of hope and regrowth.