My artwork is inspired by my travels along the coast of Maine, working waterfronts, and my experiences diving on boat moorings in Casco Bay. Living in Maine and working on the ocean has stimulated a natural synthesis of my art and the waterfront environments that I find myself drawn to. I enjoy investigating the boundaries and relationships between abstraction and realism. Through abstracted seascapes I express a sense of place by exploring interpretations of my memories and direct experiences. Many of my seascape paintings involve traditional above water points of view while another series that I work on focuses on what occurs below water. My Paintings incorporate elements of Maine’s coastal environment such as horizon lines where the ocean meets the sky, fishing weirs, drawings of boat hulls and other marine equipment such as chain. I find these symbols to be very powerful icons that speak to the tradition and heritage of coastal Maine.
Though I received the bulk of my formal training in painting, I take a multi-disciplinary approach to producing art that includes various forms of printmaking, sculpture, and digital media. Working in a wide range of mediums not only satisfies my desire to explore a variety of creative methods but it also keeps my work energized. A few different media that I use for creating two-dimensional work include encaustic, oil, acrylic, and digital photography. My current sculptural work involves the use of both additive and subtractive methods that incorporates materials such as Styrofoam, plaster, a variety of paints, and video projections.
Beyond creating visually engaging and pleasing works of art, I work towards stimulating a visual dialog with viewers that encourages them to look more deeply at the connections between their memories of the environments and objects that impact their lives- as I have chosen those that influence mine.
Website
http://www.richardkeenstudio.com
