Hello, I am Keenan Staffieri, born July 15, 1989 in California, United States. I am an artist, with prowess in technology as I am a fulltime software and web developer. In 2011, I graduated with a BS in Computer Science. I am currently working on an MFA in Fine Art with an emphasis in drawing and painting. My favored art mediums are acrylic and oil paints, and resin artwork.

As I paint, rather than painting what I see, I paint the experience and actions from within. I ex-press what my senses are feeling onto the canvas.

I enjoy painting the abstract, because I am most interested in the unseen and nonrepresenta-tional. For instance, when observing a landscape, I will not paint the landscape. Instead, I will paint the feeling of the bright sunrays, how the intensity makes your eyes strain and squint, the smell of the rain and dampness in the air, the sound of birds from afar, sounds of wispy gray, whites and light blues. The sound of thunder, initially sharp and fierce, leaving afternotes of dark purple and reds that echo into eternity. Some of these dense frequencies keep you feeling grounded. I believe this is further enhanced by a condition I have called synesthesia. Since as far back as I could remember, I’ve always associated words and sounds with colors. For example, the word “wonderful” is orange through my mind’s eye. The sounds from an active laundry ma-chine yields a similar experience to me as looking at these colors: gray, orange, some dark yel-lows, and magenta, spinning in a chaotic, yet musical-to-me dance. These experiences inspire me to paint this onto a visual medium.

To me, a good painting should feel like something new to you every single day –a new interpre-tation and inspiration. Good art should make you think or experience emotions strongly.

I am a manipulator of paint. I believe paint in all its different viscosities should be pushed about the canvas with maneuvers directed by the subconscious mind of the artist. I believe in the im-portance of harmony between color, texture, and composition. How the painting feels to the touch is also important, how it bounces off light at different angles is all important. A good canvas should feel sturdy and sound like a drum when tapped. Paintings should all be varnished and made to last. The details matter.