Skip to main content
(Press Enter)
Kathleen Keifer

Kathleen Keifer


Born and raised in Chicago, Kathleen Keifer is a second-generation artist. Her mother, also a fine artist, exposed Keifer to the world of art and supervised her training from a very early age. This legacy continues today as she closely nurtures the development of the artistic leaning in each of her three daughters, inspiring a third generation of female artists. She is a leading force of New California Realism. Some of her paintings show the breathtaking California scenery with its recognizable elements in a new light, while another series of paintings concentrates on depicting excerpts of popular board games from new angles with a keen eye on a clever composition and vivid colors.

Keifer’s paintings invite the consideration of the complex relationship between time and timelessness. It is the sheer visual interaction between the elements, taken in their bare simplicity that interests her. Water, sky, and architecture change their appearance with the shifts in weather and light. Her broken brush strokes depict light and color in luminous waves, dissolving form into a shimmering surface of vibrant light. For her, painting captures the very essence of time and its passage.

While painting landscapes, Keifer became fascinated with isolating the objects in her paintings. She believes that actual sites and places have an individual magic. Her goal is to take objects from popular culture and paint them in a new context. She began painting the silhouettes of life guard towers more as a pop art symbol than a landscape element.

All artworks by artist



Kathleen Keifer's diverse range of paintings offers a fresh perspective on the captivating California scenery, reimagining its iconic elements with a unique touch. Additionally, she presents a series of artworks that focus on reinterpreting segments of popular board games from unconventional angles, skillfully blending clever compositions with vibrant colors. As a prominent figure in the realm of New California Realism, her artistic influence is notable. Born and raised in Chicago, Keifer is a second-generation artist, her early exposure to art and her training were guided by her mother, who is also a fine artist.

Keifer’s paintings focus on the complex relationship between time and timelessness. It is the sheer visual interaction between the elements, taken in their bare simplicity, that interests her. Water, sky, and architecture change their appearance with the shifts in weather and light. Her broken brush strokes depict light and color in luminous waves, dissolving form into a shimmering surface of vibrant light. For her, painting captures the very essence of time and its passage.

Keifer is fascinated with isolating the objects in her paintings. She believes that actual sites and places have an individual magic. Her goal is to take objects from popular culture and paint them in a new context. She began painting the silhouettes of lifeguard towers more as a pop art symbol than a landscape element.
Kathleen Keifer's diverse range of paintings offers a fresh perspective on the captivating California scenery, reimagining its iconic elements with a unique touch. Additionally, she presents a series of artworks that focus on reinterpreting segments of popular board games from unconventional angles, skillfully blending clever compositions with vibrant colors. As a prominent figure in the realm of New California Realism, her artistic influence is notable. Born and raised in Chicago, Keifer is a second-generation artist, her early exposure to art and her training were guided by her mother, who is also a fine artist.

Keifer’s paintings focus on the complex relationship between time and timelessness. It is the sheer visual interaction between the elements, taken in their bare simplicity, that interests her. Water, sky, and architecture change their appearance with the shifts in weather and light. Her broken brush strokes depict light and color in luminous waves, dissolving form into a shimmering surface of vibrant light. For her, painting captures the very essence of time and its passage.

Keifer is fascinated with isolating the objects in her paintings. She believes that actual sites and places have an individual magic. Her goal is to take objects from popular culture and paint them in a new context. She began painting the silhouettes of lifeguard towers more as a pop art symbol than a landscape element.

EXHIBITIONS

2023 “Postcards From Nowhere”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA

2022    “The Comforting Familiar”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA

2020    “Midnight Blue”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA

2018    Morris Inn, Notre Dame, IN

Malibu Beach House, Malibu, CA

Bon Voyage, Coda Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

Solo Exhibition, Jeffrey Breslow Gallery, Chicago, IL

Art Palm Springs Fine Art Fair, CA

            Artspace Warehouse, CA

2017    Affordable Art Fair New York, NY

Affordable Art Fair London, UK

Art Palm Springs, CA

“Pop Futurism and Abstraction”, Artspace Warehouse, Los Angeles, CA

2016    Susan Schomburg gallery, Santa Monica, CA

            Jazz in the Pines, Idyllwild, CA

2015    Official artist of Chitag, Chicago Toy and Game Fair, Chicago, Il

Jazz! Dion Gallery, Redondo Beach, CA
Art 90266, LA 25, Manhattan Beach, C         


Political Commentary, Linus gallery, Long Beach and Pasadena, CA

2014    RETROspective, Coast Gallery, Long Beach, CA
            ArtHampton, Bridgehampton, NY
            The Pursuit of…, Lurie Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
            Art 90266, LA 25, Manhattan Beach, CA

2013    Pop meets Painterly, CODA Gallery, Palm Desert, CA

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN
Puzzles and Games, Liss Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2012    Art, Wine & Roses, Home Gallery, Malibu, CA
Pop Meets Painterly, Oh My Godard Gallery, Atlantic City, NJ

2011    Beach | Games, Riley Arts Gallery, Manhattan Beach, CA
            Art of The Game, Oh My Godard Gallery, Atlantic City NJ
            Art of The Game, Liss Gallery, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

2010    Art of The Game, Gallery 319, Santa Monica, CA
            One Woman Show, Canfin Gallery, Westchester, NY

2009    American Riviera, ARTfront Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
            American Landscape, Hilliard Gallery, Kansas City, MO

2008    Coastal Living, Gallery 319 Santa Monica, CA

2007    On the Beach, Gallery 319 Santa Monica, CA
            Why We Live Here, Dion Gallery, Redondo Beach, CA

2006    Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu. CA
BOOK: Perspective on Coastal Beauty, From Malibu to Manhattan Beach

2005    Along the PCH, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA
FRESH!, MOCA, Los Angeles, CA
Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA
California Visions, Long Beach Museum of Art, Long Beach, CA

2004    President’s Show, CA Heritage Museum, Santa Monica, CA
Coastal Nostalgia, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA
Gallery C, Hermosa Beach, CA

2003    Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
            Coastal Nostalgia, 2003, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA

2002    Coastal Nostalgia, 2002, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA

2001    Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles, CA
            Ambient Light, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA

2000    The Coastal Landscape, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA
Malibu Artists Juried Show, Weisman Museum, Malibu, CA
Montecito Art & Frame, Montecito, CA

1999    Interpreting Beauty, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA
            Artists of Malibu, Weisman Museum, Malibu, CA

1998    Changing Seasons, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA
            Celebrating Color, Mc Lean Gallery, Malibu, CA

 


FILM & TV

The Flight Attendant S.2, HBO

American Gigolo, Showtime

Insecure, HBO

Home Economics, ABC


PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

C. Broccoli
James Cameron

Kelly Clarkson
Shelley Fabares
Ed Harris
Florence Henderson
Phil Jackson
Barry Manilow
Kevin Nealon
Jack Nicholson
Sharon Stone
Britney Spears
Betty Thomas


PUBLIC COLLECTIONS

Bank of America
The Beach Club
Citigroup
Hilton Hotels
Morgan Stanley
Pepperdine University
Random House
Sidley Austin Citigroup
University of Notre Dame
United States Historical Society
Walt Disney Studio


EDUCATION AND HONORS

BFA University of Notre Dame
BA St. Mary ’s College
Advanced Workshops Tony Fitzpatrick and Roderick Guthrie
Award Winning member of the Malibu Art Club
Painting Patron of the California Art Club