Unconventional artist
Rusty Keele draws portraits, plays the piano and a thrift-store guitar and sells produce so he can “breathe in and out with the seasons.”
“I am interested in people and the human condition,” he said. “Portraits fascinate me. People hold my interest because they are who will make a difference in the world.”
Using graphite pencils, he meticulously captures universal expressions. “Drawing slows me down. It’s calming. It’s more of a necessity now, and the right time for me to be doing this.” It is Keele’s New Year’s resolution to focus more on his drawing.
Keele, 44, grew up in Tennessee. He has lived in Maryland, Arizona, California and Colorado and has always been active in the arts since elementary school, where he won a local poster art contest, through college where he studied music, architecture and art.
In Colorado, Keele formed a band, The Better Blues Bureau. He also produced art for area businesses and started his own business in produce.
“Working in produce allows me to breathe in and out with the seasons,” he said. “Everybody has to eat, and I meet all kinds of people.”
Keele moved to Spokane in 1989 and started Rusty’s Produce, which is open from April to October at Sprague Avenue and McDonald Road. The rest of his time is spent enjoying the outdoors, skiing and doing odd jobs for friends.
He continues to play the piano in area establishments and has recently taken up the guitar. He purchased a guitar from Value Village for $80, but it’s worth much more. A previous owner wrote all over it in permanent ink: “Honor music…it is an art…I have faith that the person who receives this guitar will accomplish many great things…”
Keele will do his best but fame is not his intention. “I’d rather change public opinion rather than be famous. I want to pursue art more as a lifestyle.”
Keele will continue to play music, which he says is an art of the moment whereas drawing is more self-reflective. “I try to select subject matter that will cause a viewer to reflect, to think, to touch a nerve.”
His drawings do that. “He tries to capture the individual character and depth of the individual. There is truth and honesty in his drawings, like you see the person’s inner soul, not just their aesthetic features in their image,” said his wife, Gina Keele. “He’s very talented. He also juggles.”
Keele draws in a studio/office that was drawn into the designs of their custom home on 20 acres in Spokane Valley. His New Year’s goal is to break into the portrait scene and help others recognize the value of art and happiness.
“Practicing artistic endeavors gives me a grasp on the most important things in life – family, love and friends. Any art done with passion is beautiful.”