Through my work I attempt to
examine the phenomenon of transformation and change. My intention is to evoke
an emotional urgency by depicting animals that both inhabit and interact with
invented scenarios that draw upon archetypal and global mythological themes. The paintings embody a vision that is idiosyncratic,
yet the familiar contextual elements allows for a connection to common and global
concerns we share.
It is important to me that
the imagery I work with is accessible to others. That the viewer is able to
take away
from the work a new understanding about themselves with the hope that
they too might engage in the awakening and discovery of their own personal mythology and
imagery, and find meaning and significance in it.
I tend to think of objects
or structures such as street signs, monuments, mailboxes and pavement as
metaphors to illustrate the conscious mind or ego. These elements could also be
thought of as representing the social or moral requirements and demands a society places on the
individual. The themes in the work come from personal experience and also from dreams and active imagination. The animals are used to personify and express
the unconscious impulses and energy of the psyche. The tension that is created when the surreal imagery
from the unconscious meets the conscious landscape holds tremendous mystery and
fascination for me. It is in this space that I find the freedom to explore the depth of
archetypal and mythic potentiality.
A major theme that runs
through the backbone of all of my work is a concern for the environmental
crisis we all face today. Aspects of climate change, species extinction, and
the threat of rising sea levels are integrated and woven through the
mythological fabric of the work. For me this has a cathartic purpose, which is
intended for others to share, reflect, and perhaps out of that some kind of
positive action will occur, either in ones lifestyle or political activity.
Josh Keyes was born in 1969 in Tacoma Washington. Keyes graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and later received his MFA in painting from Yale University. Keyes currently lives and works in Portland Oregon.
