"Running Man in Bare Fields" - by dkeil (Douglas Keil)

"Running Man in Bare Fields" by dkeil 8.25"x24" acrylic on wood 2011

I did this painting for a film director named Nick Evans. It's a portrayal of a character in one of his films and the trail of trials he was running through. I can say that I am truly happy with this painting- I actually achieved everything that I wanted to accomplish.

  "Running Man in Bare Fields" is the product of a lot of different paintings in galleries and magazines that I have been studying lately. Also, it's been heavily influenced by the work of Coulter Young IV; who is probably the most influential artist in my life, aside from Van Gogh. The son of my father's best friend, I grew up with Coulter's art and we recently reconnected after about ten years. In the interim, he produced some incredible pop culture paintings, ran a gallery, illustrated for some of the top magazines, returned to grad school, handled millions of dollars worth of art for clients (Picassos included!), and now teaches art at an upstate NY private school.

Currently, Coulter's been studying with Andrew Lattimore, a renowned Hudson River artist, who I must say has the skills to pay the bills. I was recently able to accompany Coulter to Lattimore's huge converted-factory studio in upstate NY and the paintings on the walls there have definitely influenced this piece. In the style of Lattimore's landscapes, Coulter has great impressionistic brush work in his oils. When we first reconnected at a Hudson River plein air event in August, I was actually really surprised to see the determined simplicity of his current work. It's totally unlike the precision of his line work and vivid psychedelic colors I remember in his pastel paintings.  Totally different, but great. After another plein air event in October we visited again, and then I went up for a few days to do some work on his house and visit last month (my Flickr page has images from the Beacon, NY trip). I had a great time and learned a lot as well.

  I applied a number of different techniques in this piece that Coulter taught me regarding developing a more natural depth of field. I guess it can be said that we have to see accurately what's in front of us to form an impression of it. I'm really not into realism- that's why I bought a camera.  It seems totally obvious now, but I've been thinking deeply about how to apply Coulter's advice on the matter. He said that I should keep three words in mind: "Lighter," "Bluer," and "Softer;"(which is easy to remember as the abbreviation for pounds- LBS.)  As it was, we were high up over the Hudson River on the Newburgh bridge driving back to Beacon.  To our right was this huge river and mountain vista- spread out to the southern horizon. It was an "aha" moment for me. In reality, the farther away something was spatially, it was lighter, bluer, and softer- just as Coulter said. I've been searching for a certain painterly look, and to some degree or another I've fought with depth of field in a painterly way.

  Another diversion for me here is the use of wood as the grounds. I just love how the grain of the wood has become so integrated into the texture of the work. Especially can this texture be appreciated in the physical presence of the painting. I could go on, I guess, about the actual painting, the colors, etc. The palette was actually pretty limited when compared to my usual palette, I guess it shows, it has a different "feel" to it. I tried to mix the coldness of the dead of winter with the warmth of the dried corn stalks, the hanger-on dead leaves and different colors of tree bark at tree line. Some successful shadow and underpainting work contributes to my happiness, but most of all it's the character- sort of a weird, stick-figured cut-out from a crosswalk light. Some sort of semi-real, transient shadow. Fleeting, fleeing. More than halfway gone, exit stage right. A few tracks remain, generally wiped away without a lasting impression. The vanity of ambition on open land.

Feel free to leave a comment with your impression.

Visit me and "like" my facebook page to stay up to date with new paintings!


You can buy a print here at my gallery on Fine Art America.
(Click on the picture link below)
The print quality for this piece on archival matte paper is awesome.
FAA has great service. You can buy just the print alone or even have it framed.
You pick out the frame and mat styles, they assemble it and deliver it within a few days.
If you want me to sign it, I'm happy to do that if you are local.
Also they have a 100% money-back guarantee (including shipping) so if you're not happy,
you can get your money back. Not a bad deal.
They don't mark up my print cost that much- they add a surcharge for the art paper, printing, and shipping.
The prices are reasonable and they look awesome framed!
You can buy the print alone or with just a mat to save a few $.
Support an artist and brighten up a room!

back to my blog homepage 

"Finch in the Painted Desert" by dkeil (Douglas Keil)

"Finch in the Painted Desert" by Douglas Keil 24x30 on canvas 2011

As some of you may know, in my late teens and early twenties, I used to spend most of my nights sleeping on the ground, on one adventure or another. My tireless thirst to understand natural history had me traveling all over with not much more than a backpack, sleeping bag, cookpot, and journal.

I felt so alive waking up next to the smoldering remains of a campfire and eventually I found myself out West, doing expeditions for some wilderness outfits in central Utah. They were companies that I've heard referred to as "hoods in the woods" programs- catering to at-risk teenagers and attempting to snap them out of their unhealthy living circumstancesby by providing a life-changing experience. For those those managed to elude the grasp of litigation, they could be financially lucrative. Most tended to be grass-roots organizations full of zeal and an ardent desire to assist a floundering generation. I hoped that some of my appreciation for life and natural history could be passed on to the kids in my care. Some were pretty rough characters, most were just punk kids a few years younger than me (I was in my young twenties.) The common thread among them all was that they were disgruntled affluent kids whose folks had enough money to do amazing things- like send them on adventures for a couple months. I wish my paychecks as a guide reflected their affluence; I could hardly afford to live; which was pretty pathetic. Anyway, I enjoyed the work for the most part. I learned so much about human psychology and the natural history of the American West while getting paid a pittance to explore some of the most amazing places on earth. Our adventures took us across the painted desert and up into the mountains; camping by streams and waterholes, exploring canyons, spending the starlit nights sleeping on pine needles and listening to the breeze  rustle the leaves of aspen forests.
High up in the clear mountain air life was good. Life was great! I tried to leave a good legacy with my time.

One thing is certain- the desert etched more than a few images into my mind: soaring vistas of rock, sand, juniper and sage, big skies painted in surreal blues, and greater expanses than I ever dreamed of.  There is a feeling of accomplishment that is missing in modern life. The urban/suburban lifestyle has deprived people of the satisfaction of experiencing the scope of the landscape and identifying with the role we should play as caretakers of the physical foundation of society. Days spent trekking across the wilderness furnished ample opportunities to look back across rolling hills and arroyos with reflection, to say,"Wow! This morning I started walking all the way over there, and now... I'm all the way up here!"  The sort of experiences that set the hustle and bustle of business and Hollywood dramas in a more appropriate place. For me that's somewhere between negligible and non-existent.

      Which brings me to my painting "Finch in the painted Desert."
There is something incredibly special about sitting quietly atop a 200 ft mesa and looking down to the bottom of the canyon below, across the desert expanse, and then up at the sky. Inevitably, within the passing of a short time, some action will present itself before your eyes. Perhaps it is a raven noisily flapping it wings past, or a flock of scrub jays moving through the pinon and junipers, and sometimes...
it's something like I envision here: a finch alighting on a cluster of cactus.
When the bird realizes it's not alone, it turns its head sideways to assess the scene, looks into your eyes, pauses for a while to visit, and then flies off in its continual quest for food.


Take a moment to "like" my facebook page to stay up to date with new paintings!

back to my blog homepage 

Pop Portraiture- "Valerie" and "SentryCat" paintings by dkeil

"Valerie"  by dkeil 24x36 on canvas 2011

So what's this?

It's a portrait.

What kind of style is that? 

How should I know- I just painted it. It came out perfect to me. 

Some people have said it looks like pop art. Some have said it looks like anime art.

I say it looks like "dkeil art" when everything comes together right.

She's a smart young lady- she'll tell you all about the axions and their role in the selective reuptake of seratonin. If you can follow along, she'll tell you about many other incredibly complex neurological happenings too; with sketches and word pictures to help it all make sense. She's my sister, Valerie Keil. I love her. Hopefully, all that knowledge won't make her head explode and she'll stay humble and kind. So many people need so much help and she's hoping to assist folks in the mental heath field; certainly a noble aspiration.

So, yeah, I do portraits too. If you want one done, don't be shy- let me know. Whether you want me to work live or from a photo is up to you.  I'd prefer it wasn't just some rush job. It's important to get to know the personality of the one being painted, and portray that in the finished piece.
Just one disclaimer, I don't do nude work. So please don't ask.

Whether a traditional sitting, or from a photo, for a wedding, or to capture a special time in life, I'll make it memorable and enjoyable with a large painting on canvas!

Interested? call me up- Douglas Keil @ 908.334.9995  and we can discuss your ideas.
or email me-palatialstudios@gmail.com

Visit me and "like" my facebook page to stay up to date with new paintings!

Yeah. I'll make an awesome painting of your pet too!
Send me a picture and I'll make your pet look like the coolest creature that suburbia ever knew...
well, that's a lot to promise. I'll make it into a cool painting- let's leave it at that.

"SentryCat" by dkeil 18x24 on canvasboard 2011

back to my blog homepage