About Keith French

From an early age, I have enjoyed making art.  I would doodle and draw cartoons in school and often embellished my social studies reports with colorful drawings.  In my teens, I also discovered gardening, hiking, and bicycling as fun things to do – in other words, doing outdoorsy things in the open environment – and perhaps this combination of activities led me to a 30-year career as a Landscape Architect.

Since my retirement in 2008, I have developed a keen interest in landscape painting, both in oil and watercolor.  While I have always appreciated the beauty of the natural landscape, I consider the cultural landscape to be equally if not more interesting, since humans have made such a strong mark on our world.  I often incorporate buildings, roads, people and cars in my paintings.

Over the years, I have traveled throughout the United States and have visited over 20 countries on four continents.  My art is inspired by these travels.  I especially enjoy painting en plein air when possible, although many of my pieces have been produced in the studio from photographs.