About the Artist
Biography
Modern Figurative Artist
Keith MacPherson was born in Windsor, Ontario but has spent most of his formative and adult years living in the Edmonton, Alberta area. He always had a compulsion to draw and beginning in elementary school, would draw his fellow students and then moving on to drawing political cartoons and caricatures. While raising a family, he began to explore different mediums such as watercolours and pastels. It wasn't until he began exploring oil painting that he began to seriously study and explore the techniques of the Old Masters. Keith now exclusively paints in oil. He feels that for him, it is the best medium that clearly and dramatically enables him to express his ideas.
Strongly influences by his past and present experiences, people and urban landscapes are the overriding theme in Keith's work. Keith tries to convey the idea that there is dignity in almost every human endeavor and his portraiture allows him to express that dignity on an individual level. Urban landscapes being the natural expression of the human experience, his hope is that he can successfully communicate these ideas through his paintings.
"For me, clarity of expression can best be achieved by the dramatic combination of strong values, forms and composition."
For the most part, Keith's paintings are influenced by the Baroque Masters such as Caravaggio, Goya and Velazquez, Russian impressionists such as Gelli Korzhev and painters such as Robert Henri and George Bellows of the Ashcan School. "I feel that the art style these artists display on their canvases enable the allegory in their paintings to be understood by so many people."
Artist CV
Education
2024 Figure and Portrait in Red Chaulk Robert Liberace
2021 Mastering Skin Tones Boston Academy of Realist Art, Eric Johnson
2021 Color Theory Studio Incamminati School for Contemporary Realist Art, Jason Jenkins
2019 Figurative and Contemporary Art Conference Josh LaRock, Michael Klein, Charles Miano, Daniel Maidman, Scott Waddell
2019 Figure Sculpture Workshop Ritchie Velthuis
2019 Master Figure Painting Workshop Studio Incamminati School for Contemporary Realist Art, Kerry Dunn
2015 Figure Painting Workshop Justin Ogilvie
2013 Figure Painting Workshop Zhaoming Wu
1996-97 Watercolours and Portraiture University of Alberta
1993-95 Drawing University of Alberta
1983-84 Drafting NAIT
Professional Experience
2019 – Present Primary Artist Beyond the Portrait Project
1999- Present - Artist / Instructor Rowley Home Studio
2016-2017 - Contributing Artist the Valour Project
1988-97 - Newsletter Cartoonist the Support Network
1983-84 - Political Cartoonist NAIT “NUGGET”
Selected Exhibition Record
“Boundless” Exhibition 2025 Federation of Canadian Artists Spring Show
“On the Edge” Exhibition 2024 Federation of Canadian Artists
“The Portrait” Exhibition 2024 Portrait Society of Canada
“Naked” Exhibition 2024 Harcourt House Naked Show
“Muse” Exhibition 2024 Federation of Canadian Artists Spring Show
“Water” Exhibition 2023 Federation Gallery,
“Limitless” Exhibition 2023 Federation of Canadian Artists
“Guilded Reflections” Exhibition 2022-23 Art Gallery of St Albert
“Art From the Unknown” Exhibition 2021 Online Gallery
“Cityscapes” Exhibition 2021 Leading Edge Physio / Windermere
“Personal Witness” Exhibition 2019 Leading Edge Physio / Capilano
Lotus Gallery Exhibition 2017 The Lotus Gallery
The Blackbird Café Solo Exhibition 2017 The Blackbird Café
The Boardroom Exhibition 2015 - 17 Office of MLA Annie McKitrick
“Art From the Unknown” Exhibition 2016 Old Strathcona Centre for the Arts
Salon Series Exhibition 2016 Strathcona Gallery @ 501
The Blackbird Café Exhibition 2016 The Blackbird Cafe
Leading Edge Physio Exhibition 2014 Leading Edge Physio / Royal Glenora
“First Impressions” Exhibition 2014 Scotia Place Atrium Gallery
“Friends of the Misericordia” Exhibition 2012 Misericordia Hospital
“Still life and Scenes” Exhibition 2012 The Elements Loft
“Strathcona County Art Show” Exhibition 2011 Strathcona Gallery @501
Bibliography
Society of Western Canadian Artists, Wild Alberta Through the Eyes of its Artists, November 2025
Society of Western Canadian Artists, Alberta Through the Eyes of its Artists, November 2022
Society of Western Canadian Artists, Edmonton Through the Eyes of its Artists, June 2020
Mariam Qureshi, Compiler, Edmonton Muse Magazine, August 2019
Awards
2017 Finalist, Non-Commissioned Portrait, Portrait Society of America Competition
2015 Second Place, ASSC Competition
Professional Organizations
Portrait Society of Canada (PSC) Federation of Canadian Artists
Portrait Society of America (PSA) Society of Western Canadian Artists (SWCA)
Visual Arts Alberta / CARFAC Copyright Visual Arts (COVA-DAAV)
Collections
Commissioned and Original Paintings held in both Private and Corporate Collections throughout North America, South America, and Europe.
