About
Statement
My latest series of images entitled "Exemption From Occupation," explores the definition of leisure. I am investigating issues related to the American middle-class through representations of the suburban backyard. My direct influence is the advertising and marketing materials produced by manufacturers of backyard lifestyle products.
American Dream
My photographs are grounded in my curiosity with the post-modern critique of material wealth as a sign of achieving the "American Dream" because this same "American Dream" highlights a lost sense of individuality, work ethic, thrift and craftsmanship in America.
Technique
To achieve these images, I create by hand mixed media sculptural still-lives of everyday suburban occurrences and then photograph to illustrate my point of view. My intention is to entice the viewer into examining the underlying forces and accepted assumptions which shape everyday life..
Worldview
My choices in colors are part organic; part synthetic, yet distinctly artificial. I use an architect's scale during construction of the still-lives to retain visual proportion. Also, by shooting the photographs with a macro lens, I am able to control the scale of the image and allow the viewer to expand their worldview beyond the facades within suburbia.
The Early Years
Keith Stanton was born in Downers Grove, Illinois in 1975. As a child growing up in the suburbs of Chicago Keith took painting and drawing classes through the park district.
Teenage Years
Being a latch key kid and a free spirit, Keith would take the train into the city and visit the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Process
Keith combines his ability to create sculputures, scaled models, photography and digital media for national exhibitions and personal comissions.
Current
Currently, Keith is an industry leader in senior housing interior design and lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, creating photographs of fabricated suburban landscapes.
