James S. Keul

Talented printmaker and painter James Keul seeks to capture the soul of the natural world through his handsome, meditative landscapes. Working with oil paint on canvas or with ink monotypes, his images of crystalline streams, stands of deep forest, and rugged mountain ranges are timeless and inspiring. "I seek to extrapolate from nature the essence of a scene, while accentuating the rhythms and motion." His characteristic style is a gestural abstraction created by graceful, painterly brushstrokes imbuing each work with an essential energy. This approach lends an air of spontaneity to each piece, sweeping like breezes across the picture. Keul has a naturalists appreciation for the land but may also include depictions of historical architecture within his work. These rigid, manmade forms are conspicuous against the organic appearance of the clouds, foliage, and land. His creative life has been complemented by studies in the wide-ranging locations of Vermont, Georgia, New York, and Aix-en-Provence.