Artist Biography

George Keister is a retired Wildlife Biologist, living and painting in Baker City, OR. He grew up on the gulf coast of Texas where he began drawing at the age of about eight years old. Formal art instruction began at eleven years old when he studied with Simon Michael from Rockport, Texas. At thirteen he began oil painting and won a second place award at a local Art Exhibition. He moved to Oregon in 1973 to pursue a career in wildlife management, where he received a Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. In more recent years he has intensified his interest and study of art, striving to become more accomplished. He has attended workshops with Scott Jennings and Kim English. He currently displays his work in Baker City, primarily at the Short Term Gallery and Crossroads Gallery, where he has won several awards since 2005 (2 first Place, 2 Honorable Mentions, and a People's Choice Award). George was included on the Grant's Getaways TV show on KGW from Portland, OR in August and September, 2011.

Artist Statement

"I paint what moves me. Whereas I feel most drawn to landscapes; the power or enormity of nature, often with the influence or presence of wildlife and/or man; I am sometimes drawn to portraits, human and wildlife, as well as figure and still life studies. I prefer to paint from life as much as possible. My goal is to convey an emotion and create a mood. I strive for a good abstract design and to paint just enough to appear realistic, but not photo realistic. While I want to be concise, I also strive to maintain the spontaneous feel of a plein air study."