We had the good fortune of connecting with jonathan keeton and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi jonathan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Well there is a fine dividing line between fear and risk. In my case, risk came from the fear of not achieving what I wanted to, which I realized was not something I could live with. So, I quit my schoolteaching job in DC and moved to Europe in the early 80s, where I worked in a traveling theater company. Then I moved to California and stumbled into the beginning of computer graphics. Every project then was about risk, as the stakes were very high all the time. I got used to that, I think, without being aware of the consequences. That led me to start a visual effects studio, and a long ride, striving to create memorable work, but also to make payroll and keep the company fed and thriving. The risk in becoming a full time artist came from realizing that my time on earth was finite, and I had better start working as an artist if I intended to honor that! So while there have certainly been stresses in starting essentially over, being able to do what I want and to spend my time as an artist is very fulfilling – not easy, but fulfilling.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I have a somewhat convoluted evolution. I have always thought of myself as an artist since childhood. I had essentially no craft or technique, and was fortunate enough while attending Eckerd College to study in London with a remarkable Australian painter named Geoffrey Dupree, which gave me a foundation. After various enterprises, I found myself at the beginning of the computer graphics revolution in film and video, and worked in that unforgiving field for over thirty years. That gave me an ability to work hard and stay focused, and also greatly developed my eye, and my sense for when things feel right visually, and what it takes to make that happen. As challenging and fun as that career often was, I wasn’t making my own art, and as I spent more and more time in the forests of Northern California, I realized that I needed to do that. So my wife and I left our jobs and moved to New Mexico. Since then I’ve spent my time finding powerful moments out in the world, either late at night in little towns or deep in the forests and mountains at dawn and twilight, as well as perfecting my craft so that I can paint these scenes so they evoke in the viewer the feeling that I had when I discovered them. I am more and more filled with awe at this magical world we live in, and try to convey that in my paintings and photographs.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There’s a great deal to see and do here in Santa Fe. I have some backcountry hikes that I love up in the mountains above Santa Fe where I often take friends, as well as the Pecos Wilderness and the Chama River Canyon past Ghost Ranch among others. I love hearing them exclaim as we enter these places! We have some lovely and engaging friends, and dinner or lunch with them as we look out at the scenery is always special. I love walking Canyon Road, and having a bite at the Tea House after looking at the galleries is fun. I always take people to Pasqual’s, which I think has the best New Mexican food in Santa Fe. Then there’s Joseph’s Culinary Pub, although we are blessed with lots of excellent restaurants and it’s hard to choose. For hanging with friends, I like tea at Ikonic, or at Counterculture Cafe or Madame Matisse, who have killer pastries.
I almost always take friends on drives as well; I like heading up into the Jemez Mountains and Valles Caldera, and especially like the Las Conchas trail there, but also the Enchanted Circle drive that circles around Taos. Hard to choose!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I’m pretty darn grateful to my wife, the artist Melinda Tidwell, for being with me through this journey and supporting me. Also I’m indebted to the Clark Hulings Foundation, which awarded me a fellowship in 2019. They’re dedicated to helping artist become self sustaining entrepreneurs and giving them the tools to do that.

Website: www.jonathankeeton.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jonathan.keeton/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-keeton-95b7441/

Twitter: @JonathanLKeeton

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jonathankeetonartist

Other: https://www.pinterest.com/jonathankeeton

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.