It's a problem I've encountered a few times where an artists work slowly starts to lose its appeal when viewed too often or if they're very active on social media, it takes away some of the impact. But with Josh's work its only gotten better as he's continued to push his ideas around nature and the environment into new spheres and playing with the stories which feel embedded into each piece. The life like paintings also have a technical quality which always puts Keyes above his peers in my eyes but its our ability to connect with his paintings and their inhabitants which adds some much needed soul. Even newer works featuring tagged up spaceships and astronauts throw up interesting questions and add to the narrative of a planet without people but their footprint, their cars and their marks are still visible, even in space. Perhaps with the current fear around Corona virus Keyes has tapped into a not too distant dystopian future, but in all honesty it looks quite appealing right now!
For an insight into Josh's world I highly suggest checking out his Instagram feed and watching some of the short clips of him painting. His skill and also scale are interesting to see and if you can be sure to check out his work in real life if you get the chance. Even after many years of admiring his paintings it still feels like discovering him afresh each time, I hope you enjoy discovering his work too.
