Daniel Keys

Seeking to reconfigure viewers’ perceptions of beauty in the world, Daniel Keys represents mundane objects in vivid colors. Keys is deeply influenced by the work of artists Richard Schmid and Nancy Guzik, painting his expressive still lifes, landscapes, and figures with sweeping, gestural brushstrokes. Exploring objects that are typically overlooked or excluded from traditional conceptions of the beautiful, he says, “I look for shapes and colors and patterns that I like. Then I look for things that may not conventionally go together, like pumpkins and teacups…. I look at them for the architectural quality, lines, values and shapes and patterns.”