One of our favorite things to do at StudioWorks is to invite artists in our community to share their art and story in our space. Keith Kleespies was gracious in accepting our invitation and brought a box full of his art. Keith is originally from the Cincinnati area and found much early success there before coming to Louisville. His presentation was informal and our artists were eager to see what would come out of the box next!
Keith’s work is delightful and sophisticated and our artists enjoyed his imagery which is frequently humorous. At all times Keith’s work is well drawn and designed. Of late, he has been making gestural drawings and scanning them into the computer which then becomes further manipulated. Keith shared that he is slowly losing his vision and the computer has become a tool that allows him to continue his art making. Where his art ends up is usually far from where it began in his process.
Keith is an aficionado of the “Blues” which is evident from the above sculpture. The Blues is a uniquely American musical form that speaks directly to life’s many experiences. Keith’s sculpture combines the names of important Blues locations with some of its famous singers and musicians.
Here Jeremy checks out another Kleespies’ original that again acknowledges the Blues and the art of illustration. Keith is an excellent cartoonist and familiar with that tradition as well. To be a Blues man is to lead a wandering lifestyle and this is why shoes are such an important image to Keith.
After Keith finished his art presentation with some wonderfully designed graphic pieces in his portfolio…our StudioWorks artists wanted to show him what they have been making! Here Keith takes in Eric’s latest drawing that is a montage of different dog breeds drawn in various sizes.
Bradley Bohannon couldn’t wait to show Keith his latest entitled “Heros”. It’s a collage and drawing honoring the brave servicemen that help keep us safe.
We really thank Keith and his wife Suzi for stopping by and sharing a bit of themselves with us. Suzi is a wonderful artist too and we look forward to her presentation sometime in the near future. Both of these artists have become good friends and supporters of the StudioWorks mission and that means a lot to us. To end, here is a small Kleespies’ sculpture made with cardboard, paint, and a pipe cleaner that displays Keith’s wit and humor. Thanks Keith!!!