Richard Keyes

Richard D. (Dick) Keyes (born October 19, 1930) is an American painter associated with abstract expressionism, impressionist landscapes and the California Plein-Air Painting revival. Keyes is now a Professor Emeritis at Long Beach City College, where he taught Life drawing and painting for 30 years, between 1961 and 1991. He continues to teach, lecture and demonstrate through groups like the Huntington Beach Art League .[1]

Contents

Biography

Richard Keyes was born in Detroit, Michigan, in 1930. His parents, Richard and Estella, encouraged his interest in art early on, and enrolled him in an art school at the age of 16. This propelled him to attend Highland Park Community College and Wayne State University in Detroit. Keyes then served in the United States Air Force, during the Korean War. Upon his discharge from the Air Force and after returning to the United States, he attended the University of Michigan, earning his BA in Design in 1957. After marrying, he and his wife Carol moved to California, where he enrolled in the higher education program in Art at the University of California, Berkeley. While at Berkeley, he studied under artists David Park, Glenn Wessels and Erle Loran, and in 1958, he received his Masters in Painting. His style of painting at this time was Abstract Expressionist,and the Berkeley experience was very important, as it solidified his awareness and control of the abstract in visual art.

Within several years, Keyes' work shifted to abstracted landscapes. After a period of making welded steel sculptures, he returned to painting, in a more realistic yet impressionistic style. His most frequent subjects have been the great rolling landscapes and seascapes typical of California's Central and South Coasts, but has also painted in much of the Sierra Nevada Mountains of eastern California.

After his retirement, Keyes studied with California Art Club member Ken Auster, and also with Roger Armstrong, Jeff Horn and Mario Meagovitch. He continues to be a member of several painters groups, such as the California Plein-Air Painters Association [2] and Laguna Beach Plein-Air Painters Association.[3] He continues to show his work every summer at the Art-A-Fair Festival,[4] in Laguna Beach, CA.

Exhibitions

References

  1. ^ Huntingon Beach Art League
  2. ^ California Plein-Air Painters Association
  3. ^ Laguna Beach Plein-Air Painters Association
  4. ^ Art-A-Fair Festival
  5. ^ Show catalog, April 10, 1958, "Duet (oil)"
  6. ^ Show catalog, Jan 8, 1958, "Rondeau( oil)"
  7. ^ Show catalog, 1960, "July Fourth (oil)"
  8. ^ Long Beach Press Telegram, Arts Section, Article: "Bright, fresh, new views", Mar 9, 1969
  9. ^ Show catalog, Sept 13, 1970, catalog item# 355, "Seaways (oil)"
  10. ^ Newport Beach Public Library System - Calrndar of Events, April 1, 1993

Links