Excerpt from article in Art Business News,
April, 2006 by Audrey Chapman

Copy: "It's seductive. It's haunting. It affects people", says Sausalito painter Mark Keller. Like painter Ninad Mirkovich, Keller experienced his own little miracle years ago, when a stroll through a 100-year-old Buenos Aires bar presented a scene so moving, he's painted its subjects again and again.

"There was something about them," Keller says in a far-off voice, describing the musicians he saw playing under a stream of light, the paintings and patina surrounding them. "They had an ashtray for tips. They had a sign that said 'Gracias.' But they didn't care about that. These guys were in their 60s. They were elegant. They were playing for the joy of it. It was just beautiful."

While Keller, 52, has been an artist since he was a child, he launched his career as a full-time artist in the year 2000, following the path of his father, who was a cartoonist in the armed services.

"I don't remember not having a pencil or a crayon, and drawing on whatever open surface there was," Keller says.

But genetics isn't the only thing that feeds Keller's art. "I was in a rock band like everybody else," he says with a laugh.

Keller's journey to that stage began as a kid when he picked up his brother's guitar, building an intimacy with music that's infused into his art to this day. Whether he depicts a man cradling an old, beloved violin or a woman dancing in the back of a smoke-filled room, his rich, realistic portrayals breathe a respect for music and its affect on the musician. "There's always passion when you see a great musician, or even a mediocre musician, if they're putting their heart into it," Keller says. "You see it on their faces; you see it in the veins of their necks that they're giving it all they've got. Sometimes they turn toward me and smile and I think, 'No. Please. Just go back to what you were doing.'"

How does one describe the soul and inspiration of
Mark Keller's art?

I'll start by skipping that early brush with John Law, and how an Oklahoma Senator came to his rescue at the hearing. Mark was, after all, so young.

Let's just say that before becoming known as a painter, Mark had some misspent years, including not a few in advertising. He garnered international acclaim for art directing fabulous ads for Nocona cowboy boots, Levi's jeans and more. He also illustrated posters for TWA and Sheraton Hotels.

Next, Mark heeded a sensible inner voice and turned fulltime to music. As one of the country's most successful producers, he created music for literally hundreds of television commercials working with music legends such as Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Little Richard, Michael Jackson, and Johnny Cash.

Now as a painter, Mark's work often reflects how much music has impacted his life. From smoke-filled tango bars in Buenos Aires to jazz clubs in Paris and street musicians in New York subways, his paintings convey an audible as well as a visual emotion.

The use of music as a recurring element in his pictures seems just as universal as personal.

With his wife and two children (all artists) Mark now divides his time between homes in Sausalito, CA and San Juan Island, WA.