I was born in 1955 and grew up in a quiet home with my Mother and Father. Our home was filled with deeply religious art, much from my Aunt who had become a cloistered nun. My earliest memory of creating Art is an attempt to draw Saint Patrick with my box of crayons when I was about 4. In my first days of Kindergarten I was plopped in front of an easel, but didn't know what to do - I know what to do now. During my Elementary School years my Father brought home a drawing book for me, together with small amounts of white paper, which I used to create comic stories - 20 single page episodes until 1966, 8 booklets until 1968, and a final 6 page adventure until 1973. I believe my Mother was behind the books on painting and the art supplies I regularly received at Christmas and Easter during the 1960's, including the easel I use until today. I would always study what was available from the Art Supply sections of our local Department Stores. With the encouragement of my Parents my talent in Art developed all through Elementary School, and I began to receive the highest grade possible in Art on my Report Cards. My oil painting skills were developed through 'paint-by-number' sets on dogs, cats, and landscapes. My Father was so impressed by these that he used his limited woodworking skills to meticulously craft frames for them. At this crucial time educators entered a strange period of denial, perhaps feeling uncomfortable with my focus on figurative art. Despite my obvious talent and love of subject, I could not get recommended or accepted into my feeder High School Art Class. When I questioned my 8th grade teacher about this she glared at me and snapped, "You should worry about your other grades!". In my Sophomore year applicants to Art Class were required to make a charcoal interpretation of a poem read aloud about watermelons. Of the 5 applicants mine was not satisfactory. This led to my leaving parochial education, although I remained close to the Church in all other ways. I was accepted into Central HS for my Junior Year, and was finally admitted into Art Classes for my Senior Year, learning many Art skills from my teacher. I graduated from Central in 1973 with a "B" in Art, but my confidence had been shaken by the earlier experiences. My Art Education became side-tracked by an opportunity to try Engineering as a major. This only proved what little inclination I had towards the Sciences and soon developed into an interest in Drafting as a compromise between talent and opportunity. My already developed gift for drawing saw me successfully graduate the American Institute of Drafting. I was gainfully employed for years as a Senior Draftsman and, after returning to Drafting school for Computer Aided Drafting, as a CAD operator. But whatever job I held my artistic talents were quickly recognized and during the 1970s and 80s I created hundreds of artistic signs from the very small to the very large, including a few murals and play scenes.
You may watch for upcoming events and new work through my Art Journal .
We hope you visit sites of other artists whose style I admire from my'links' page.
My paintings are included in many private collections, and have been shown at Woodmere Art Museum, the Cheltenham Art Center, through four Gallery shows in historic Olde City Philadelphia, were represented by Swan Gallery in the Philadelphia suburbs during 2006, were shown with 3 shows during 2007-08 at 1 Shot Coffee house in Philadelphia, and over 40 of my paintings were shown through 2 shows at Goldfish Gallery in 2009.
In Spring 2006 I was asked to design the scenes for the play at our local Elementary School - the same school where I had attended Kindergarten many years ago. It was quite a creative experience guiding 25 talented kindergarten through 6th grade students (including our, at the time 7 year old, daughter) through a week of painting.
2006
our daughter
My work is priced through shows at galleries, museums, art centers, places of interest, sometimes a benefit auction, and through my monthly Web Gallery, but if you are interested in a particular painting you may inquire by email:
Amidst so many changes it has become apparent that an Artist is who I am, not simply what I do. An Artist's life holds many opportunities for diversity, from signs and banners for neighborhood events to creating websites for the World Wide Web. A still-life painting can still be challenging and I carry a pocket sketchbook to capture fleeting moments in subways and parks.
In 2006 Lorna received her Associate in Arts degree with honors from LaSalle University in Philadelphia.
Since 1989 we have lived in the United States and have 5 beautiful children.
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Patrick and Rose at UArts in 2007
Patrick at UArts in 1997
Computers continued to become more 'user friendly' and as the Drafting Boards disappeared from Corporations, so did I.
Earlier I had begun courses at the Philadelphia College of Art, now The University of the Arts (the largest Art University in the USA), where Instructors shared many valuable insights, from direct painting methods to sophisticated techniques of the Masters.
As the class painted from life models or still life the Professors would walk among students giving critques of their work. Some teachers would bring books of Artist's work, showing us example after example. This became my key to knowledge and I spent many hours in the school and public libraries, until assembling the private art library I have today.
I continued with my Art education to become a Fine Arts graduate of The University of the Arts, and have been listed with their Alumni Honor Rolls while still visiting the school and public libraries.
sketching outdoors, 2005
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In November 2005, at the Professor's suggestion, I gave a presentation of my work for Lorna's Art History class at LaSalle University discussing my style and motivation, and answering many interesting questions from the students.
I have often enriched my paintings with short poems and in Spring 2007 particpated in Cheltenham Art Center's Spoken Word Night, reading one of my poems on-stage.
While on a visit to the mystical islands of the Philippines in the 1980s
I met my lovely wife, Lorna.
We fell in love on the island first recorded by the earliest European explorers as "Zee-Boo".
Within a year we were married with a Catholic Mass in her native country.
love,
Charles & Lorna
2012
Her native, intrinsic beauty
highlighted by her daring use of modern fashions and cosmetics inspired almost all of my work during the 1990s.
The following year I was asked to design 2 additional scenes for a new original play, again having help from a handful of students.
2007
2007
With the new millenium Lorna began studies towards an Art Degree which created a plethora of inspiration. The number of our paintings approaches 200 and has resulted in many shows and exhibits of our work.
George and violin in his school's String Orchestra
2006
Our children have also shown artistic talents. One is a UArts student, one a student at our city's High School for the Creative and Performing Arts, and another takes lessons at Temple U's Young Music Scholars program.
After spending so much of my life reading books
it seemed time to have my own book published. My book
"Over 100 Oil Paintings by Charles Keenan"
was released during 2008
and is an overview of my early methods and motivation.
Since then there are also 3 smaller published books
each containing 20 of my newer, more imaginative paintings.
The first "Journeys" in 2009, the second "Myst" and third "Quiet Changes" in 2010.
( click on the covers to learn more )
With inspiration from my lovely muse I have completed over 200 oil paintings. Until 2008 those paintings were mostly observational and slightly idealized in a style I called Romantic Realism. I have always loved using my imagination, and during 2008 my paintings became more interpretive. I am very pleased with both groups, but allow me to start from the beginning...
In June, 2011, after a year of solid work, I released what I consider to be my masterpiece of painting and poetry "The Sands of Time". Each of the 21 researched paintings are small but highly detailed, and each is accompanied by an original poem.
