VETA-ARTISTS.COM / CARMEL, CALIFORNIA
Featuring Artist Brian/Brianna Keeper
"GiGi"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, San Francisco, 16 x 20, Acrylic on Canvas, 2003
I love this vista from Sausalito at the Golden Gate headlands. I am sitting quietly working, mesmerized by the view, when a mountain lion steps out perhaps ten feet in front of me. It was looking at the same view and never turned to see me.
"Paris Paris"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Las Vegas, 20 x 24, Acrylic on Canvas, 2004
Another trip to fantasy land...Las Vegas. I spent a surreal month living at the Golden Spike. I painted, gambled, and was constantly dodging security. I was manic the entire time. The eye candy, noise, interiors and heat were overwhelming. A months stay cost me about $300. I was screaming towards a crisis and having a ball.
"Body Field"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, Acrylic on Camvas, 24 x 30, 1992
Just another day exploring my subconscious, another psychic-scape. One piece is usually a revolution of color against the last. One day I am red and the next day I am green.
"Trans-Petite"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, San Francisco, Acrylic on Canvas, 20 x 16, 2003
Transamerica circa 1978, picture me as a bicycle messenger. It was truly, the wild west. We rode 3 speed bikes with little or no brakes. There were no helmet laws and traffic signs were more like suggestions than actual rules of engagement. It was scary wild.
"Artist Cove"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Isle Royale National Park, Lake Superior, 24 x 20, Acrylic on Canvas, 2004 SOLD!
Isle Royale National Park is pristine wilderness. It is the quietest place I have ever been. Days would transpire without hearing a human voice, nor would I speak. I relished this time untethered from phone, family, friends, and country.
"Inland Passage"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Clearlake, Acrylic on Canvas, 30 x 24, 1993
Spent a couple of weekends going to Clearlake painting in the boatyards. I got a soft spot in my heart for the little sailing cruisers. The boat wrights did not quite know what to make of me. So long as they did not run over me with their boat lifts we got along fine.
"Plaza de America"
"Plaza de America"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Seville, Spain,
16 x 20, 1999
This is where the magic happens. Seville was amazing and this location was exceptional. I was intimidated by the perspective and all the visual information. My pack was scary heavy. Paint, tacks, canvas, brushes, clothes, tent, coat, sleeping bag, pad, rainwear journal, maps, sunscreen, meds, and a bunch of other essentials.
"Mud and Stars"
"Plaza de America"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, East Texas, Acrylic on Canvas, 70 x 84, 1983
I was very excited by my departure from reality in this piece. I have fond memories of East Texas. Because it was a cultural desert, friends would gather to create, perform and entertain one another. The weather was severe, violent, terrifying and beautiful.
"You Are Welcome"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, Acrylic on Canvas, 00 x 00, 1996
Thought this a good place to look at my "Psychic-scapes" from 96. Sometimes they were dark, but sometimes they were light. When I look at this piece, I think of my maternal grandmother.
"SELFIE"
"The Dance"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas,12 x 9, Acrylic on Canvas, 2003
Generally speaking, I believe creativity in "Western" culture is a manic pursuit. There are climaxes and crashes. Periods of sublime madness and crushing depressions. It is a bit of a ride. Giddy up!
"The Dance"
"The Dance"
"The Dance"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Africa, 24 x 20, Acrylic on Canvas, 1994
1994 was a mixed year for me. I got into my first National competition, I traveled to Africa, I fought my first major bout of depression, and my work began to take a very dark but therapeutic turn. Hindsight is not such an amazing thing when you have documentary evidence. Anybody care to dance?
"Moonscape"
"The Dance"
"The Dance"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, 20 x 16, Acrylic on Canvas, 1984
Moonscape is one of many paintings I created by moon light. You never really know what is going on color-wise until you bring the piece into bright light. They are always fun to execute. An opportunity to howl!
"Palais de Justice"
"Palais de Justice"
"Palais de Justice"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Brussels, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 30, 1988
This is the largest courthouse in the world. The bad guys end up here. The grounds around it are beautiful. Brussels is full of magnificent pocket parks. I painted a few of them.
"July 3, 2025"
"Palais de Justice"
"Palais de Justice"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, 24 x 36, Pen on Paper, 2026
It begins with a drop and ends with a flood. It came and came and came and came, and then it came some more. Like beads from a broken necklace hitting the roof, there were crescendos and voices in this cacophony long before the river left her banks.
"Voyager II"
"Palais de Justice"
"Voyager II"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Isle Royale, Lake Superior, Acrylic on Canvas, 16 x 20, 2004
The much beloved Voyager delivers mail and supplies to Isle Royale, ferrying kayakers and hikers, as it circumnavigates the island. I am a sucker for vessels. Each time I painted one, I would get adopted by the crew. The Voyager provided islanders fresh food, medicine...the stuff of life.
"Stardome"
"Self Portrait"
"Voyager II"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Yosemite Valley, Acrylic on Camvas, 66 x 54, 1991
Another day and night spent in the valley making a large scale painting of Half Dome. This is a very impasto painting. It was fun to create. Campers stopped by and told me stories of their childhoods camping in Yosemite. Just to the left is Bridal Veil Falls, where they used to have giant bonfires on top and push them over the falls. It must have been spectacular.
"Self Portrait"
"Self Portrait"
"Self Portrait"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, 10 x 8, Acrylic on Canvas, 1992
Self as Cyclops, or why I hate Jason and his trespassing Argonauts, or if you see Odysseus tell him to look me up. Ever have those days where you feel and act like a monster. This was one of those. Own it, paint it, write it, whatever. Just don't let that creature feed on your interior.
"Ode to Love"
"Self Portrait"
"Self Portrait"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, 66 x 54, Acrylic on Canvas, 1992
Another Ode to Love. This one fashioned with the Venus de Milo in mind or better known as Aphrodite. She is the Goddess of Love and Beauty and was created about 100 BC. Aphrodite was a Greek God, while Venus was the Roman name for her. I call her by another name.
"Firehole Canyon"
"Firehole Canyon"
"Firehole Canyon"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Yellowstone National Park, 16 x 20, 2003
One of the many beautiful areas of Yellowstone that I couldn't resist stopping to paint. I could have stayed for weeks, but we had rendezvous in Seattle and Bellingham, Washington. Someday this whole area is going to explode, and wreck havoc on the planet. It is part of the beauty of it. It may very well reboot life on earth. Every dinosaur has its day.
"James Boswell"
"Firehole Canyon"
"Firehole Canyon"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas, Acrylic on Canvas, 10 x 8, 1989
James and I shared a studio. He was a sweet, sensitive man. James was gifted at faux finishes. He, like so many of my friends of the time, was struck down by AIDS. In the course of one afternoon I learned that three of my closest friends were HIV+. It was a devastating era to contract the disease.
"Capitol T"
"Firehole Canyon"
"Palace of Fine Arts"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Austin, Texas, 30 x 24, Acrylic on Canvas, 2000
This was a butt burner. Sitting on terrazzo, craning my neck for two days was incredibly hard. Periodically stepping outside for a little “inspiration“, this was one of those over the top compositions that put knots in my stomach. I had to draw it several times to get the drawing centered.
"Palace of Fine Arts"
"Palace of Fine Arts"
"Palace of Fine Arts"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, San Francisco, 30 x 24, Acrylic on Canvas, 1997
Oldest profession in the world. Some say it is prostitution. I say it is being an artist and making marks. In that vein, I did this painting laying on my back. It was a challenge composing and rendering. My ego kept chanting, "no, no, no". This is a very popular location. I definitely felt on stage with butterflies and nerves. I love pieces that have no absolute orientation.
"Zimbabwe"
"Palace of Fine Arts"
"Face Yourself"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Africa, Acrylic on Canvas, 24 x 30, 1994
I am not a hunter. At sunrise the guides and my brother would head one way and I would head the opposite. I did not carry a gun, to the guides consternation, but carried paint and canvas. It was beautiful and horrifying. Life and death were daily events. On my path were cobra, black mamba and leopard tracks. I always felt like there were eyes on me.
"Face Yourself"
"Palace of Fine Arts"
"Face Yourself"
Brian/Brianna Keeper, Hunt, Texas,16 x 20, Acrylic on Canvas, 1995
Adversity is a gift. It introduced me to therapy and began a vital dialogue with myself, journaling. My journal was my best friend and confidant for at least 15 years. Therapy was a lot like show and tell. Once a week I would show up with five or six paintings and poems. I believe the work saved me. My therapist was just my witness. I loved the process.
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