Today we’d like to introduce you to Richard Keen

Richard, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?

Like a lot of my generation ( Gen X ), I had a childhood with a lot of freedom and autonomy. Both of my parents, who divorced when I was eight, held full time jobs so I was free to roam around the neighborhood, run in the woods, ride my bike, play loud music – pretty much do whatever I wanted to do so long as I was home in time for supper.

My background is solidly blue collar. My mom was a nurse and my dad was a mechanic and salesman, who later helped my stepmom run their own business. We moved from the slate belt of Pennsylvania (where I was born) to Indiana (where I grew up) and although the Midwest was a fairly safe and gentle place to grow up, I never really felt like I fit in – until I found art.

Thankfully, the public schools in Elkhart, IN had decent funding for their art programs. By the time I was in high school, we had access to painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and clay – and four art teachers! That was it, I was hooked.

In college I began to really focus on visual art, though my first love of music remains really important to me. When I am thinking through an idea in the studio, I’ll often pick up a guitar and play, allowing things to sort themselves out in my head. I also like to get together with friends who play, and of course I go out to see live music at local venues. Music remains a really important part of my process.

I did my undergraduate work, receiving my B.F.A., in Illinois, then I moved back to the east coast and went for my Master’s of Art in upstate New York. After that, Maine called.

Maine has an incredible artist community and it has been an amazing place to live and create for the past 25 years. It is home. Here I have found inspiration, established my career and found friends that became family, as well as a wife and family that understand what I need to be doing as an artist.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?

Well, the road is always stretching, twisting and winding, with plenty of potholes. I don’t feel like I’ve “arrived” yet, if you will. I don’t have a pedigree from a major art school, there is no family money or financial backing, so nothing is ever “easy.” I’ve had to learn how to build an art career while supporting myself with a day job.

I’ve always had the mental framework that regardless of my job, I am an artist first. Whatever I do for work is to support my life as an artist. But I also am not really interested in being a “starving artist.” I like some security. We live on a small farm and there are always unexpected things that come up – or just the normal things in life. I’ve been divorced, there are illnesses, dealing with the unexpected tragedies… you can’t plan for everything, but it matters to me that my family has a warm, safe home and all that.

There have definitely been times when that has been really challenging. Partly because of the stigma, or at least what I perceive as a stigma, within the art world towards artists with jobs, as though it makes you less serious about your art. I can get pretty annoyed by that.

Then there is just the reality of time. It’s challenging to put in a full day of work and then put in the hours at the studio afterward. It’s the time, and the energy. You have to still have something left in the tank, you know? There are days when I have to give myself permission to sit and just mix colors, or review gallery notes. Not every day is putting paint on the canvas, but I do go to my studio every day.

The flip side of that though, is that I can see how my work has benefited from the discipline of the process. Art is like any other endeavor, most of it is hard work and showing up so that when the idea arrives – you are ready.

My art has benefited more directly from my day job too. A lot of the shapes, contours, lines and shadows come from what I see and experience under the water of the Maine coastline as a commercial diver.

I don’t always get every opportunity I would like – but then again all artists face rejection. It never feels great, but thankfully I have supportive friends who are also artists and who understand the process and love and believe in me. I just keep on doing the work of making authentic art while reaching out to galleries, museums and non-profit venues who I think would be a good fit for my work.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?

For the past 25 years, while living in Maine, my artwork has generally been informed by what is around me: the ocean, working waterfronts, and the topography of the landscape while hiking.

Although I associate with being a painter, I explore other mediums and methods of creating art as well. Mixed media, sculpture, printmaking, drawing… whatever the medium, my plan is to leave a recognizable trace as to what my vision, style or mark is.

I certainly lean heavily into abstraction. However, there is usually some sort of representational figure / ground existence. My work is known for my use of amplified color, line and geometry. Nature, man-made objects and the spaces between them that generate their own geometric shapes and patterns inspire me. I filter which elements of my observations and experiences to focus on by removing detail and injecting them with amplified colors.

The methods I use to paint vary. From scraping, wiping, brushing, and spraying to spreading the paint with palate knives and metal or rubber scrapers – even old credit cards. I often balance the use of crisp lines and shapes (created by taping off areas) against visible aspects of brushwork and other mark making processes.

Ultimately, my abstractions begin from observation and experience. They are rooted in the concept of place. I also believe that my style of abstraction allows viewers space for their own interpretation and meaning which opens up a conversation versus presenting a fixed statement about a conversation.

Any big plans?

My recent focus was centered on finishing up new work for my current solo exhibition “Two if By Sea” at Moss Galleries. This show combines multiple aspects of my work over the past 25 years living and working in Maine. It includes painting, sculpture, and an aspect of mural work that will lean more towards how the work is installed.

I usually have multiple irons in the fire, so I am also busy exploring a new material and how I might incorporate it into my sculpture, while also finishing up my home studio – as well as a second space in what used to be our garage. There are a few residencies I have applied for, as well as some potential exhibition ideas still forming.

I have recently shown with Anita Rogers Gallery in New York, NY and am very excited about that relationship is moving forward. This summer I am also in a two-person pop up show, curated by Sunne Savage Gallery and installed at Shaw Contemporary Jewelry (known for their eclectic art scene involvement) in Northeast Harbor, ME.

Most of all, I am really looking forward to the new possibilities afforded by my home studio and the space to try new things that it affords me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://richardkeenstudio.com/home.html
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/richardkeenartstudio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richard.keen.79/

Image Credits

All photos by artist