Richard Keen, who lives in Dresden, Maine, remembers first visiting (Little Long Pond), in 2015, taken by his future wife Heather Martin, a College of the Atlantic graduate who “knew about all the magical places in and around Acadia.”
Tag Archives: Richard Keen
Conversations with Richard Keen October 25, 2024
Richard, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
Like a lot of my generation ( Gen X ), I had a childhood with a lot of freedom and autonomy. Both of my parents, who divorced when I was eight, held full time jobs so I was free to roam around the neighborhood, run in the woods, ride my bike, play loud music – pretty much do whatever I wanted to do so long as I was home in time for supper.
My background is solidly blue collar. My mom was a nurse and my dad was a mechanic and salesman, who later helped my stepmom run their own business. We moved from the slate belt of Pennsylvania (where I was born) to Indiana (where I grew up) and although the Midwest was a fairly safe and gentle place to grow up, I never really felt like I fit in – until I found art.
Thankfully, the public schools in Elkhart, IN had decent funding for their art programs. By the time I was in high school, we had access to painting, drawing, photography, sculpture and clay – and four art teachers! That was it, I was hooked.
In college I began to really focus on visual art, though my first love of music remains really important to me. When I am thinking through an idea in the studio, I’ll often pick up a guitar and play, allowing things to sort themselves out in my head. I also like to get together with friends who play, and of course I go out to see live music at local venues. Music remains a really important part of my process.
I did my undergraduate work, receiving my B.F.A., in Illinois, then I moved back to the east coast and went for my Master’s of Art in upstate New York. After that, Maine called.
Maine has an incredible artist community and it has been an amazing place to live and create for the past 25 years. It is home. Here I have found inspiration, established my career and found friends that became family, as well as a wife and family that understand what I need to be doing as an artist.
Artwork Archive Interviews Richard Keen III
Richard Keen working in his studio. Photo courtesy of the artist and Artwork Archive.
Why One Coastal State’s Landscape is Integral to This Artist’s Creative Process
Paige Simianer | April 11, 2024
“As far back as I can remember I have made sense of the world through art,” Richard says in his artist statement.
Artwork Archive’s Featured Artist Richard Keen is known for his use of color, line, and geometry influenced by the Maine coast, where he lives and works.
His commitment to interpreting his surroundings has led the artist to develop a distinctive style that resonates with both the physical beauty and the underlying geometric patterns of the Maine coastline. Through his eyes, viewers are invited to experience the familiar landscapes of Maine in a new light, where natural and man-made structures alike are reimagined.
The methods Richard uses to paint vary. Through scraping, wiping, brushing, spraying, and the use of palette knives and scrapers, he explores the tactile possibilities of paint.
Richard’s work is characterized by a delicate balance between the precision of crisp lines and shapes—often achieved through careful taping—and the expressive qualities of brushwork and other mark-making techniques.
At the heart of the artist’s abstractions is the concept of place, a tangible link to the environments that inspire him. Yet, his art leaves ample room for viewers to embark on their own journeys of interpretation and meaning.
Through his work, Richard Keen not only captures the essence of his surroundings but also offers a window into the profound ways in which art can shape our understanding of the world.
Artwork Archive had the chance to chat with Richard Keen about the significance of the coast of Maine in his artwork, his advice for artists, and how Artwork Archive helps him manage his studio and art career!
Do you have a favorite or most satisfying part of your process?
There is so much about the act of creating that is satisfying—I really, really love each part, so it’s hard to say which is my favorite.
The beginning, or the unknown; the middle, where my vision starts to become clear yet the finish line seems foggy and unsettled, with potential risk and failure; and…. the final piece which eventually reveals itself and calls you back over and over to stare in amazement that you actually created it.
Can you talk more about the significance of the coast of Maine in your identity as an artist?
The coast of Maine literally engulfed me.
From the first time I stood on its jagged shoreline and smelled the density of the fog and rockweed, to the moment I learned how to scuba dive, I realized it held the language necessary for me to build a dialogue with viewers and show them how I see the world.
I’ve been so lucky to live, hike, and work in this great state. I am also entangled in the working waterfront world and generally look for connections between my attraction to abstraction and the parts of Maine that surround me—whether they may be manmade or in my escapes into nature for mental grounding.
View Full Interview on Artwork Archive
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