Thomas Keller

I am a self-taught artist with much of my inspiration coming from my travels and studies of ancient cultures such as the Egyptians, Mayans, Incas, etc. I create to inspire, uplift and challenge people to see a bigger, deeper and brighter picture of mankind. My varied and diverse approaches to making art include: paintings, sculptures, mixed mediums, performance art, and writings. The work takes on various forms intended to draw in the viewer to create new and unpredictable cycles of thought and associations, providing a chance to challenge one's perceptions, perspectives and assumptions. My artistic talents appeared in early childhood, but I shut it down at the age of 10 when it was discovered I was color blind. I was frustrated, angry and confused because I no longer trusted the colors I saw. At the age of 45, I had a spiritual awakening and began creating again, seeing color blindness as an advantage because I saw the world in a unique way. The art poured out of me and created an explosion of colors while experimenting with pastels. Seven years later my family moved to Atlanta and I expanded into sculpting, being motivated by the feminine beauty of wood and combining it with stone and paints. My creativity doesn’t stop here. In 2020 I wrote a book entitled, The MIRROR, encompassing the core principle that our circle of family and friends reflects our own consciousness, and by seeing this we can effect change within ourselves. I feel compelled to create. I have recognized that it is my very nature to create and create I will. One critical thing I have learned about myself is that I can flow from one medium to another listening to my internal guidance, trusting my intuition. Currently, my first multi-media performance art piece delivers a clear message that humanity is one family falsely separated by the appearance of skin color and cultural differences. Art remains a strong contender of how we share our thoughts and ideas. Throughout history, art has survived the tidal wave of information, and remains an unpredictable source of imagination. It has the possibilities of changing one’s thoughts, opening new ideas. I have no grand illusions that art will create a revolution in the traditional sense, but have witnessed the powerful changes it can make in an individual. Just one new idea can change a person’s perception.