Keith Leitner
“Simply trying to make it work”
Elizabeth Murray
“The beauty of nature re-forms itself in the mind, and not for barren contemplation, but for new creation.”
Nature, Ralph Waldo Emerson
First, the important thing is the work….the artist’s work is the key to discovery. Secondly, it’s a good idea for the artist to find a place of trust and then try trusting it for a while. I put my trust in the program and components of a painting. The support and the paint, along with the maker, combine to create works that are statements of partnership. Materials lead me through my painting. I like to see where they can take me.
If art is a reaction, then my painting is a response. It wants to be about how I take in the world around me: texture, color, light and surface. Nature, the force around us, the “not me”, as Emerson calls it, is a catalyst. There is a wholeness in nature which never fails to cause some move on my part. By struggling to interpret my environment with paint, I am forced to look deeply. I paint alla prima so my creation is fast and unplanned. While I look at nature, my painting becomes something very much different, and according to the quote above, becomes a new creation. While inspired, it becomes something of and unto itself. As the work progresses, it creates its own logic. What does the work want or need? What happens when you put two or three colors together? From the initial move, I don’t know how each work will evolve; the struggle is getting to the end.
When you declare yourself a painter, you enter into the history of the discipline. What does my work say about painting today? Paintings importance for me is that it is not of the digital noise we are all exposed to on a daily basis. I find it a healthy experience today to stare at a static, non-digital image. A painting is quiet. I hope people would be caught by color and then enter into the work to find texture and subtle marks. A painting wants to be looked at and good painting wants to be looked at for a long time.
So all these things, for me, are what make a painting. They all come together and how it turns out can be the best part. You never know and there’s a lot of doubt along the way. The important thing is to keep going. In “Ten Rules for Art Students and Teachers, John Cage and Sister Corita Kent tell us, “it’s the people who do all of the work all of the time who eventually catch on to things” Those “things” are what make painting worth the while.
Keith Leitner Resume
Keith Leitner's solo exhibition is on view April 9 - May 4, 2025.
Tour & Talk with Keith Leitner, 2025
Alla Prima Watercolor Workshop with Keith Leitner
Saturday, May 3, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Interior Lighting, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Menemsha Bight, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Menemsha Erratic, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Menemsha Riprap, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
May Redbud, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Butterflies, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Complements, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Crystal Clear, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Crum Creek March, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Early March, The Laurels, watercolor on paper, 10" x 10" Available
Morris's Wedge, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
October Memorials, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Orange Glow, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Poly Hill Far Barn, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Roses of May, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Stroud Hillside, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Swarthmore Lodges, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Swarthmore Sunken Garden, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Ultramarine Shade, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Verdant May, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
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Keith Leitner's previous solo exhibition was held December 6, 2023 - January 14, 2024.
Tour & Talk with Keith Leitner 2024
A selection of his work is currently available at the gallery as indicated. For inquiries on all other works shown, please Contact Us.
Autumn - Cheslen, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Buckrun Winter, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Cheslen February, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12"
Crum Woods May, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Evening Field - The Laurels, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12"
Fire Island - Cherry Grove, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12"
Holly Afternoon - Swarthmore, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Holly Shade - Swarthmore, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12"
Lemon Hill March, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Ormiston Copse, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12"
Swarthmore October, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12"
The Laurels January, watercolor on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Twilight, oil on paper, 10" x 11"
Chestnut, oil on paper, 10" x 11"
Linden, oil on paper, 10" x 11"
Burl, oil on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Fragment, oil on paper, 12" x 12"
Stars, Moonlight and Shadows, oil on paper, 12" x 12" Available
Autumn Fire, oil on paper, 14" x 14"
Hornets Nest, oil on paper, 10" x 11"
September Glory II, watercolor, 12" x 12"
A selection of works from Keith Leitner's previous exhibitions is available at the gallery as indicated below. For inquiries on all other works shown, please Contact Us.
Virtual Tour & Talk with Keith Leitner, December 21, 2022.
Arabesque, watercolor, 12" x 12"
Scribe, oil on paper mounted on panel, 9.5" x 9.5"
Creator of the Universe, oil on canvas, 18" x 18"
Spring, oil on paper mounted on panel, 11.5" x 11.5"
Above Stockton, watercolor, 12" x 12" SOLD
Doe Run, watercolor, 12" x 12" SOLD
Evening Veil, watercolor, 12" x 12"
Storm Bight I, watercolor, 12" x 12"
Storm Bight II, watercolor, 12" x 12" SOLD
September Glory I, watercolor, 12" x 12"
Saturation Dawn, watercolor, 12" x 12"
Saturation Dusk, watercolor, 12" x 12"
Necco Wafer, watercolor & oil pastel, 12" x 12"
Basalt, oil on paper, 12" x 12"
Jet Stream, oil on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Metamorphic, oil on paper, 12" x 12" SOLD
Sunset (Green Flash), oil on paper, 11" x 11" SOLD
Verdant, oil on paper, 10" x 10"
Of the Fire, oil on canvas, 16" x 16"
Eroded, oil on paper mounted on panel, 11.5" x 11.5"
Storm, oil on paper mounted on panel, 9.5" x 9.5" SOLD
Handwork, oil on paper mounted on panel, 9.5" x 9.5"
Approach, oil on paper mounted on panel, 9.5" x 9.5" SOLD
Lacquer, oil on paper mounted on panel, 9.5" x 9.5" SOLD
River of Time, oil on canvas, 16" x 16"
Shade, oil on canvas, 24" x 24"
Orpheus, oil on canvas, 18" x 18"
Frost, oil on canvas, 24" x 24" SOLD
Jollity (Pink on Tan), oil on canvas, 17" x 17"
Mars, oil on paper, 10" x 10" SOLD
Zephyr, oil on canvas, 12" x 12"
Palimsest 5, oil on canvas, 12" x 12" SOLD