Taking Your Art to a Deeper Level: Multiple Award Winning Finalist in the category of Art in three different contests including "2014 USA Best Book Awards", "2015 Eric Hoffer Art Category Book Award", and "2014 International Book Award". If you have ever wished that you could take a fabulous watercolor painting class from a master teacher as well as an accomplished artist, then this book is for you. Included are sections on materials, how to paint, what to paint, color, drawing, value, philosophy, and selling. Ted has taught university art classes for over 20 years. He teaches not just the mechanics and fundamentals of painting, although of course he does teach that, but also the essence and mystery of art. He investigates questions such as what is talent, why do we revere the arts so much that we build museums to display them, and when can you call yourself an artist? What is the difference between illustrators and artists? Do modern art and more traditional art have a common spirit? What does it take to create 1,000 paintings and what does that mean? If you have ever wondered how it feels to be an artist, to paint day after day, and to make a living in the arts, then this book is also for you. The book shares Ted's experiences as a painter, a teacher, and someone who has made a living from the arts. It includes a section showing the process of creating a painting from the idea to the completion, illustrating the different stages that occur in the painting. It includes information on how to sell artwork in galleries and other venues. As a teacher, Ted is especially skilled at helping people take their art to a deeper level, no matter what their initial level is. He assists people to become freer in their work, as well as to develop their own signature style. If you are feeling stuck in your art work, this book is for you. The second half of the book is devoted to a gallery of Ted's original paintings. His work has it's own recognizable style. One can see how he has personally put into practice that which he teaches. The paintings are both profound and whimsical, with a touch of humor here and there. The colors are rich and evocative. The subject matter is the ordinary stuff of our everyday lives, made to come more alive and magical by the colors and whimsy of the images.
Ted Keller is an accomplished watercolor painter, as well as a master teacher of art. As a boy, Ted loved to paint and draw and was enchanted by the smell of oil paints. After earning his BFA degree from Syracuse University in Ceramics and Painting, Ted attended the University of Montana at Missoula where he graduated with an MFA in Ceramics. To begin his career, Ted accepted a job as a professor of art at Oregon State University, where he taught for two years. Although his classes were always popular, he felt that he was too young to teach, so he made the decision to quit teaching and move to the coast of Maine. Once in Maine, he began a 30-year career in ceramics, supporting himself and his family by making and selling over 100,000 pieces of colorful stoneware and porcelain pottery. In his early 40's, Ted restarted his teaching career at the University of Maine, while continuing his work in ceramics. He taught a variety of art classes for over 20 years. His classes were legendary in their popularity, and many students chose to take classes from him over and over again. At age 53, with the family grown, Ted decided to stop making pottery and begin painting. He started with oil painting, but soon switched to watercolors, the medium that best fits his skills and interest. Over the course of the next three years, Ted continued to teach and to develop his watercolor skills, creating over 300 watercolor paintings. He then began to show and sell his work in Maine galleries. At this point he has completed about 1300 paintings. Attracted by the sun, the mountains, and the incredible light of Taos, New Mexico, Ted moved there with his wife in 2009. At the same time he maintains his home, connections and friends in Maine and visits the Midcoast area often. He continues to paint in watercolor, and his work can be seen at shows in galleries in the Taos area, as well as the Carver Hill Gallery in Rockland, Maine.
