This page contains the following information:
- The Artist
- Current News
- Representation
- Work on Current Display
- Where Shown
- Awards
- Current Projects
- Work In Progress
- Materials & Methods Used
- Terms Used by the Artist
- How To Purchase Artwork, Prints and Gift Cards
In addition to the images displayed below, other examples of the artist's work can be viewed on the pages listed at the top right-hand corner of this page.
Reservation of Rights: All the artwork displayed herein is Copyright by the artist as SkipKeyserArt, Napa CA and the artist reserves all rights.
Pacific Coast Sunset
Watercolor on 140# Cold Pressed Arches 100% Cotton Paper, 5-1/2" x 8-1/2"
© 2014 SkipKeyserArt
Current News - Two items of recent news:
Anders-Lane Artisan Wines of Napa recently purchased two pieces, both watercolors ("A Napa Valley Fall" and "Napa Valley II") for inclusion in their art collection.
For the third year in a row, Napa Valley Museum's "Take A Chance on Miniatures" exhibition will include a piece by Skip Keyser. The exhibition runs from May 5th thru June 1st. Napa Valley Museum is located at 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville (707-944-0500) and is open 10 am to 4 pm daily except Mondays.
Representation - Original works of art by Skip Keyser can be viewed and purchased at the Artists of the Valley Gallery, 1307 First Street, Napa, California 94559. Normal hours for the gallery are 10:00 am through 6:00 pm, every day of the week. You can contact the gallery by phone at 707-254-2085.
Anders-Lane Artisan Wines of Napa recently purchased two pieces, both watercolors ("A Napa Valley Fall" and "Napa Valley II") for inclusion in their art collection.
For the third year in a row, Napa Valley Museum's "Take A Chance on Miniatures" exhibition will include a piece by Skip Keyser. The exhibition runs from May 5th thru June 1st. Napa Valley Museum is located at 55 Presidents Circle, Yountville (707-944-0500) and is open 10 am to 4 pm daily except Mondays.
Representation - Original works of art by Skip Keyser can be viewed and purchased at the Artists of the Valley Gallery, 1307 First Street, Napa, California 94559. Normal hours for the gallery are 10:00 am through 6:00 pm, every day of the week. You can contact the gallery by phone at 707-254-2085.
Fall Vineyard
Pen-and-Ink on Paper, 11"x14"
© 2006 SkipKeyserArt
Works on Current Display - the following original works are on display at the Artists of the Valley Gallery in Napa CA:
Contours in Red (pen-and-ink; 11"x14")
Contours in Blue (pen-and-ink; 11"x14")
Contours in Yellow (pen-and-ink; 11"x14")
Still Life with Tinware No. 2 (oil pastel, 11"x14")
Basket with Fruit (oil pastel, 11"x14")
Napa Valley Eucalyptus (pen-and-ink, 11"x15")
Napa Valley (watercolor, 8"x10")
Evening Storm (oil pastel, 11"x14")
Green Vase and Pear (oil pastel, 12"x18")
Teapot with Fruit (oil pastel, 9"x12")
Bowl, Vase and Teapot No. 3 (see above, oil pastel, 11"x14")
Napa Valley Sky
Watercolor on Paper, 11"x14"
© 2010 SkipKeyserArt
Where Shown - In addition to the Artists of the Valley Gallery, the artist has shown work - or currently has work on display - at Anders-Lane Artisan Wines; Napa Art Museum; St. Supery Winery; Napa Community College; The Meritage Hotel, Napa Community Bank and the Napa City-County Library.
East of Ragatz Lane
Acrylic on Wood Panel, 12"x16"
© 2006 SkipKeyserArt
Awards - 2011 Napa County Fair: 1st place, Professional Fine Arts Open Division/Graphic Arts-Abstract.
2011 Solano County Fair: Honorable Mention, Fine Arts Open Division/Graphic Arts.
2011 Napa Town & Country Fair: 3rd place, Professional Fine Arts/Graphics & Print Making/Pen-and-Ink; Award of Merit, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor.
2010 Napa Town & Country Fair: 1st place/Best of Division/Award of Merit Napa Community Bank Special Competition; 5th place, Professional Fine Arts/Graphics & Print Making; Award of Merit, Professional Fine Arts/Acrylic.
2009 Napa Town & Country Fair: 4th place, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor.
2008 Napa Town & Country Fair: 4th place, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor; Special Award, Professional Fine Arts/Acrylic.
2008 Napa County Fair: 1st place, Professional Fine Arts/Abstract Collage; 1st place, Professional Fine Arts/collage; 1st place, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor.
2007 Napa Valley Art Association: Artist of the Month (twice). 2007 Napa Town & Country Fair: Special Award, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor; Special Award, Professional Fine Arts/Graphics & Print Making.
2005 Napa County Fair: 1st place, Professional Division/Crayon, Charcoal & Chalk.
2005 Napa Town & Country Fair: 2nd place, Professional Fine Arts/Pastels; Award of Merit, Professional Fine Arts/Pastel.
2011 Solano County Fair: Honorable Mention, Fine Arts Open Division/Graphic Arts.
2011 Napa Town & Country Fair: 3rd place, Professional Fine Arts/Graphics & Print Making/Pen-and-Ink; Award of Merit, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor.
2010 Napa Town & Country Fair: 1st place/Best of Division/Award of Merit Napa Community Bank Special Competition; 5th place, Professional Fine Arts/Graphics & Print Making; Award of Merit, Professional Fine Arts/Acrylic.
2009 Napa Town & Country Fair: 4th place, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor.
2008 Napa Town & Country Fair: 4th place, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor; Special Award, Professional Fine Arts/Acrylic.
2008 Napa County Fair: 1st place, Professional Fine Arts/Abstract Collage; 1st place, Professional Fine Arts/collage; 1st place, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor.
2007 Napa Valley Art Association: Artist of the Month (twice). 2007 Napa Town & Country Fair: Special Award, Professional Fine Arts/Watercolor; Special Award, Professional Fine Arts/Graphics & Print Making.
2005 Napa County Fair: 1st place, Professional Division/Crayon, Charcoal & Chalk.
2005 Napa Town & Country Fair: 2nd place, Professional Fine Arts/Pastels; Award of Merit, Professional Fine Arts/Pastel.
Late Autumn Trees No. 2
Pen and Colored Ink on paper, 11"x14"
© 2007 SkipKeyserArt
Current Projects - The artist recently completed a series of pen-and-ink landscapes (on 11"x14" paper) as well as acrylic land- and seascapes (on 6"x8" and 9"x12" panels). He is currently at work on a series of urban-landscape pieces in acrylic (on 9"x12", 11"x14" & 15"x20" panels and on 24"x40" stretched canvas), watercolor (on 11"x15" paper) and pen-and-ink (on 6"x8" & 11"x15" paper) of which the following is an example of a completed piece:
Works In Progress - the images below are of two in-progress watercolors and an in-progress pen-and-ink piece:
Soft Pastel - Soft pastel pieces are created as with the Oil Pastel process outlined above (again, using any of the commercially available soft pastels) except that only 300-lb watercolor paper is used as a support and the fixative used is Aquanet hair spray (#3 Extra Super Hold) which the artist has found to be superior (less color change, no yellowing, readily available and inexpensive) to any of the commercially available soft pastel fixitives.
Watercolor - Watercolors, usually representational landscapes but occasionally abstract pieces, are painted using either tube (soft) or - more frequently - cake (hard until softened with water) pigments available either in transparent or opaque forms. Talens Transparent (or Opaque) Watercolors are preferred, although for travel both Van Gogh (12 half-pans) or Koh-I-Noor (24 cakes) pocket-sized kits work well. Supports used are 140-lb (300 gsm) or 300-lb watercolor paper, generally cold-pressed.
Pen and Ink - Created either as colored- or black-ink pieces, the support for larger (11"x14") pieces is generally Bristol (such as Canson 2-ply Plate/Smooth Bristol) which is an ultra-smooth bright white support suitable for graphite (pencil) or pen-and-ink work.
Acrylic - Acrylic paintings (acrylic paint is a water-soluble pigment suspended in a synthetic resin that dries - unlike watercolor - to a non-reworkable finish) are executed on stretched canvas, canvas panels or gessoed wood panels.
Terms Used by the Artist - the following are brief explanations of some of the terms used in this blog:
Fixative: a liquid material or varnish used to "fix" and seal the medium onto the support, to prevent it from smudging or to give a different appearance to the artwork (such as varnishing a watercolor painting).
Impasto: the thick application of the medium, generally using a pallet knife or a brush such that the medium is left with a distinct texture on the support (as opposed to the medium being "brushed out" and leaving a very smooth finish).
Medium: the material used to create the image, such as ink, watercolor, soft- and oil pastel, and acrylic.
Large (card size is 5" x 6-1/2") $4.00 each
Small (card size is 4" x 5-1/2") $3.00 each
Boxed sets of 10 cards and envelopes are available at:
Large cards $25.00
Small cards $20.00
Send orders, specifying full title of artwork requested on card, quantity and card size, to SkipKeyserArt, 800 School Street, Suite D, Napa CA 94559.
Discounts are available on all limited-edition prints and cards at the following rates:
Total Purchase Before Discount Discount
$0.00 to $99.99 0%
$100.00 to $199.99 10%
$200.00 to $399.99 20%
$400.00 or more 25%
San Francisco Buildings
Pen and Ink on paper, 5"x7"
© 2012 SkipKeyserArt
Fall Vineyard No. 2
(work in progress)
Watercolor on 300-lb cold press paper, 12"x15"
© 2012 SkipKeyserArt
Urban Landscape No. 1
(work in progress)
Watercolor on 140-lb cold press paper, 11"x15"
© 2012 SkipKeyserArt
untitled
(work in progress)
Pen-and-Ink on Canson 2-ply Plate/Smooth Bristol board, 11"x14"
in the style of Thick Trees below
© 2012 SkipKeyserArt
Materials and Methods Used - The following materials and processes are used:
Oil Pastel - Oil Pastels are created using any of the commercially available oil pastels. A rough sketch is made in pencil on a support of gessoed panel or on plain 300-lb (640 gsm, grams per square meter) cold-press watercolor paper. Oil pastel is then applied directly to the support using a stiff pallet knife or one of several "knives" fashioned by the artist. Once the piece is complete (and frequently during the process of applying the oil pastel) the surface is sprayed with a pastel fixative (such as Sennelier Fixatif Pastels A L'Huile, available in a 250 ml pump spray bottle, or equivalent). The piece is then double-matted and framed behind acrylic.
Soft Pastel - Soft pastel pieces are created as with the Oil Pastel process outlined above (again, using any of the commercially available soft pastels) except that only 300-lb watercolor paper is used as a support and the fixative used is Aquanet hair spray (#3 Extra Super Hold) which the artist has found to be superior (less color change, no yellowing, readily available and inexpensive) to any of the commercially available soft pastel fixitives.
Watercolor - Watercolors, usually representational landscapes but occasionally abstract pieces, are painted using either tube (soft) or - more frequently - cake (hard until softened with water) pigments available either in transparent or opaque forms. Talens Transparent (or Opaque) Watercolors are preferred, although for travel both Van Gogh (12 half-pans) or Koh-I-Noor (24 cakes) pocket-sized kits work well. Supports used are 140-lb (300 gsm) or 300-lb watercolor paper, generally cold-pressed.
Pen and Ink - Created either as colored- or black-ink pieces, the support for larger (11"x14") pieces is generally Bristol (such as Canson 2-ply Plate/Smooth Bristol) which is an ultra-smooth bright white support suitable for graphite (pencil) or pen-and-ink work.
Acrylic - Acrylic paintings (acrylic paint is a water-soluble pigment suspended in a synthetic resin that dries - unlike watercolor - to a non-reworkable finish) are executed on stretched canvas, canvas panels or gessoed wood panels.
Thick Trees
Pen and Colored Ink on paper, 5"x8"
© 2011 SkipKeyserArt
Fixative: a liquid material or varnish used to "fix" and seal the medium onto the support, to prevent it from smudging or to give a different appearance to the artwork (such as varnishing a watercolor painting).
Impasto: the thick application of the medium, generally using a pallet knife or a brush such that the medium is left with a distinct texture on the support (as opposed to the medium being "brushed out" and leaving a very smooth finish).
Medium: the material used to create the image, such as ink, watercolor, soft- and oil pastel, and acrylic.
Support: the surface and underlying material on which the medium is applied. For example, a wood panel coated with several coats of gesso (such as Art Alternatives' titanium-based acrylic gesso, or any equivalent water-based gesso that is acid free and has a medium tooth) might be the support used for an oil pastel or acrylic painting.
Watercolor Paper Finish: Rough is a support (paper) that is allowed to air-dry without any pressing or smoothing. Cold Press is pressed between cold metal rollers and has a slight texture. Hot Press is pressed between hot metal rollers and has minimal texture.
How To Purchase Artwork, Prints and Gift Cards:
Framed and matted original artwork may be purchased from the Artists of the Valley Gallery, 1307 First Street, Napa CA 94559 (located on First Street between Randolph and Franklin Streets in downtown Napa) in person or by calling 707-254-2085. Business hours are 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, 7 days a week. Prices shown are exclusive (do not include) tax (currently at 7.75%) or shipping. The gallery accepts VISA and MasterCard. The purchase of original artwork DOES NOT convey any reproduction rights to the purchaser.
Limited-edition numbered prints (25 prints are pulled of each piece) are available directly from the artist at $50.00 each, payable in advance by check, money order or cashier's check, which includes tax and shipping within the contiguous 48 states (inquire about purchases outside the 48 states). Send orders, specifying full title of artwork, to SkipKeyserArt, 800 School Street, Suite D, Napa CA 94559.
Gift cards, signed by the artist and including envelope, of any artwork are available as follows (prices include tax and shipping as above):
Small (card size is 4" x 5-1/2") $3.00 each
Boxed sets of 10 cards and envelopes are available at:
Large cards $25.00
Small cards $20.00
Send orders, specifying full title of artwork requested on card, quantity and card size, to SkipKeyserArt, 800 School Street, Suite D, Napa CA 94559.
Discounts are available on all limited-edition prints and cards at the following rates:
Total Purchase Before Discount Discount
$0.00 to $99.99 0%
$100.00 to $199.99 10%
$200.00 to $399.99 20%
$400.00 or more 25%
