Since 1988, Keith Grace has exhibited and sold his paintings across the country in galleries, museums, and universities, through one-man and group shows. He has participated in over 80 art festivals and invitational exhibitions and has won many awards for his work. His paintings have appeared in magazines, newspapers, books, posters, annual reports, brochures, websites, restaurant walls, and stage sets – as well as numerous corporate and private collections internationally.
The process for each painting begins with sketches, often inspired by photographs that Keith has taken of friends and objects. The sketches evolve into the final composition which is enlarged and drawn onto the canvas.
Keith then collages individual pieces of typography “ripped from magazines” securely onto the surface with many layers of an adhesive, transparent medium to ensure a flat, seamless application. The typographic images are chosen randomly by type font, size, boldness, and color. Next, color is blocked in with layers of acrylics, painting and rubbing out areas where the type appears, to create various levels of transparency.
Further collaging work is added at this stage. Detail painting is then applied with oil colors, using a dry brush technique. This process is performed by using unmixed paint directly from the tube and rubbing it into the surface with a flat, hard brush, almost like sketching with paint. Also, using a cloth, small amounts of the oils are rubbed into the painting to enhance and intensify the color.
Keith is a partner with his wife, Shari, in Grace Design – a graphic design and illustration studio. They recently launched a new online business called Hip Dog Cool Cat – must-have merchandise for animal lovers (http://www.hipdogcoolcat.com) The site features Keith’s original artwork, limited edition prints, apparel, and more.
Check out our website and let us know what you think. If you would like to see our work, please call for an appointment.
