Artist Inspiration: Josh Keyes

I love the work of Josh Keyes. He is considered an environmental surrealist. His work often focusing on environmental issues such as wildlife encroachment and the destruction of habitat. His style is photo realistic representation but he puts his animal subjects in fragmented urban environments creating strange post-apocalyptic images. His work is impressive in his technical prowess, his interesting juxtaposition of wild animals in cities and the strong environmental messages. Keyes sometimes creates the layout for his paintings using figurines. He creates a 3D maquette of the scene he wants to create and then uses this as a reference for his painting. His is the kind of sketchbook and studio space I want to have. Though I have moved away from surrealist painting myself I find the way Keyes infuses his work with important meanings about the natural world and its importance very inspiring. You can follow his work on his Facebook page.