Artist Jonathan Keeton’s paintings reveal the quiet drama of nocturnal settings, filled with intrigue and beauty. View more by visiting his website.
“Early Morning, Russellville, Kentucky” oil on linen, 24″ x 36″
“Beauty is the collapse of the subject/object experience.”
“Late Afternoon, Petit Pont and the Prefecture de Police, Paris” oil on linen, 12″ x 18″
My work, which is primarily oil on linen, is a meditation on what I am seeing and on the impulse to honor the natural world; that everything is just so. I’m also drawn to nocturnes because at night our influence wanes and the natural beauty and mystery of things takes over again.
“Dawn, Baird Creek” oil on linen, 18″ x 24″
I started out in life knowing I had somehow been chosen to be an artist. I needed to live up to it, which has been the work of a lifetime. After studying watercolor painting in London with Geoffrey Dupree, and theater in Paris with Etienne Decroux, I worked as a schoolteacher at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, DC, a waiter, and a picture framer. Then I toured Europe as an actor with Sheer Madness Theatre Company.
“End of Day, Ribatejo” oil on linen, 24″ x 36″
In 1983, I moved to California and stumbled into the beginning of computer graphics. Subsequently I spent thirty years as a pioneer in digital visual effects. In the course of that I developed, out of necessity, a keen eye for what looked real, and an ability to work under pressure.
“Aspen Forest in Snow, Late Afternoon” oil on panel, 36″ x 48″
I also had lots of very beautiful film pass (digitally) through my hands. This really helped me develop an appreciation for lighting and composition. After starting my own company with a partner and then selling it years later, I worked as a Creative Director for a few years. I then moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico to become at long last, a full-time artist.
“Afternoon, Rua das Flores, Lisbon” oil on linen ,18″ x 27″
Most of my work is based on photographs I take while out on walks, often at night or in the beginning or end of the day. I am trying to catch the moment that appears to me then. There is a feeling a little like having the hair on the back of your neck rise when an image that seems beautiful or moving shows up.
“Early Morning, Serra de Montejunto” oil on linen, 11″ x 17″
The paintings often take weeks or months. I work on several at a time so that when I lose focus on one, I can switch to another with fresh eyes. Invariably something has broken through in my subconscious by the time I return to a given painting, and I am able to see it again.
“Dinner in Town” oil on linen, 18″ x 24″
My paintings take a while for me to feel that they’ve come to life and make me remember the feeling I had when I saw the scene. I work until I feel that they do that to some degree at least.
“Sunset, Diablo Canyon, oil on linen, 12″ x 18”
I moved to Portugal almost three years ago. Now my work is both of the Europe that I am exploring again, and the beautiful places in the U.S. that continue to move and inspire me.
Jonathan Keeton invites you to follow on Instagram and LinkedIn.