Fort George River Inlet Painting

“I took up plein air painting a few years ago to help me build a better understanding of painting life as it happens in real time. The challenge is to take a complicated subject and tear it down to its basic elements. This technique is applied to my studio work, especially my urban scene paintings about working class people and their environment. Nature, geometry, and people are my influences as well as the subjects I emulate through line and color. Some say art is art and design is design. But, I see them on similar ground. I look for the concept, the personality and the soul beneath the surface.” Keith Doles's work ranges between painting and graphic design. He is a Jacksonville native who graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Graphic Design in 2001. In 2005, he earned a Master of Arts degree in Business from Webster University where he learned how to finance painting commissions and graphic design projects. It didn't help him land a job in the corporate world, but it was useful when Doles began painting portraits for professional athletes, friends and family members. His influences include Cubism and Abstract Expressionism. And, his graphic design and painting style is a mix of fractured space (geometric shapes layered in perspective) with expressive color. In 2006, Doles began producing commercial art for web designers and small businesses from Florida to Wisconsin. Projects included prototype drawings, logos and illustrations for children's books and magazines. In recent years, he has taught a series of fine art workshops and courses at different venues including Michaels Art Stores, the Jacksonville Arboretum and Gardens and the University of North Florida. Doles is currently a resident artist at CoRK Arts District in Jacksonville’s Riverside area. Doles’ work has been featured in regional galleries including the Ritz Theatre & Museum, MOCA Jacksonville Lab Gallery, Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Haskell Gallery at Jacksonville International Airport and the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, FL. He continues to design for clients across the country and displays his artwork in galleries in Northeast Florida. His work can be found in private collections and public institutions.