Sandy Keller's Biography

When oil painter Sandy Keller moved to Santa Fe from San Diego in 2000 she was introduced to acrylics for the first time. Months of experimentation followed, leading to the development of a personal, many-layered acrylic and glaze technique. The resulting abstract paintings on wood panels were immediately well received and continue to fascinate collectors today.

But Keller has also returned to the oil medium she used for many years as an award winning California painter, and her landscapes are rich with color and texture. Clouds, water, and strong verticals, such as those found in Aspen trees, all are luminous and appear to glow from within. Your browser may not support display of this image.

Regarding both mediums, Keller says “It is always about color and creating that magic moment when two or more colors vibrate against each other. That compelling force draws the viewer in, perhaps evoking a memory of a transient moment once seen.”

Keller grew up in Denver where she married at 17 and then moved to San Diego. For some years she managed to do it all as the mother of two children, a full-time medical assistant, and a painter in the evenings. She went back to school to earn her degree as a registered nurse, but pursued her artistic goals by painting on weekends and studying with a number of renowned California landscape artists.

Before moving to Santa Fe, Keller had been honored for her oil paintings by California organizations like the Fallbrook Art Association and the Escondido Art Association which gave her Best of Show awards for her landscapes. Once in Santa Fe, Keller worked part time as a nurse at St. Vincent Hospital until 2002 when she decided the time had finally come to paint full time.

Because there are up to 50 layers of paint and glazes on each of her abstract panels, which take days or weeks to set, Keller’s studio and house are often full of paintings stacked on baker’s racks in different stages of completion.

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