Matisse said, “ a painting is a moment in the life of the artist not a moment of nature. ”
As Jim Keffer's painting journey has progressed, he has come to own this as his truth.
" Painting for me comes from a primal place. I believe folk art to be primal truth, so my painting journey has been to pare away modern life and try to be in that primal place - to be in that moment that is new, which is a time of color before there was paint, a time of imagery before there was painting. " - Jim Keffer
Jim is a self-taught artist. His work is born from a lifetime of observing places in the landscape and places of the heart. From his first 47 years of observing, he picked up a brush and began to paint.
This connection to the land has created Jim’s style which he calls modern primitive.
From his studio near Guthrie, Oklahoma, Jim, at 67, continues painting and observing with his wife, Laurie, a dog and numerous cats. He calls his studio “rhythms”.
Jim says he will retire when the brush falls from his hand.
