My grandmother was Jane Keller. She grew up in Cleburne, TX, the youngest of four children. She taught me how to bake, paint and sew. The majority of my clothes as a young child were made by her.
My parents would drop me off on Friday nights and pick me back up on Sundays. My grandmother, my grandfather and I would spend the weekends driving the backroads of Texas in search of antiques for their antique store on Lancaster Blvd in Fort Worth. No flea market, garage sale, auction or estate sale would be missed.
Along the way, she would stop to snap pictures and the Texas State Flower, the Bluebonnet, would prove to be her greatest inspiration. Jane was a self taught artist. She had a small room off the kitchen where an easel was always at the ready and scraps of fabric would be repurposed for numerous projects. Jane did not know the value of the beautiful paintings she was creating until much later in her life. I remember a time as a child when we had collected a newly framed piece of her art, she sold it out of the front seat of her car for $30. She was happy when anyone appreciated her talent. Before she died, we worked together to have her paintings scanned for giclee printing. She left the originals to me. Now the technology has advanced so much, I'm able to share them with you in a variety of formats. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
My grandmother, Jane was a huge influence in my decision to become an artist. She painted landscapes of Texas in oil from photographs and memory with no formal training. My grandparents had a table in their antique store reserved for smaller items and the proceeds from the table went into a piggy bank at the front of the store for myself and my sister. It is in this spirit I have created The Keller Prize.
The Keller Prize is an international art contest held annually. Additional information about the call for art can be found at www.thekellerperize.com