Losing Grip: Vanishing Points of Reality
Original Artwork by artist Anya Keyes
Reality can be slippery. Some days you’ve got it in a firm handshake, other days it’s more of a limp high-five before it wriggles away. It can arrive bright and clear, then blur at the edges, fading like a half-remembered dream. These paintings live in-between—when you’re trying to stay present, but your mind keeps sneaking out the back door, wandering into its quiet elsewhere.
Visually, I want my work to hold this tension between grasp and release—hands that reach, clutch, or hover in open air, caught between holding on and letting go. Soft, luminous colors and tender forms meet with frayed edges, blurred lines, and open space. Colors pop, shapes dance, and lines waver as if they’re not entirely convinced where to stand. The push and pull between solidity and dissolution mirrors the mental state of being split—half rooted in the moment, half adrift in the mind.
My goal with this work is to make paintings that are at once intimate and disquieting—drawn from the fragile beauty of staying tethered, even when the threads feel thin.
Losing Grip: Vanishing Points of Reality
Join us for the sixth art exhibition of 2025, featuring Oregon-based artist
Anya Keyes
Opening Reception:
Thursday, August 28, 2025
5:30 PM – 9:00 PM
About
ANYA KEYES
She grew up in Soviet-era Ukraine before moving to the United States, where she long dreamed of becoming a painter, driven by a desire to carve out her identity in a new and vibrant culture. Her work serves as a visual journal, chronicling profound themes of connection, intimacy, and loss, reflecting her experiences and emotions.
There’s a unique satisfaction in the precariousness of watercolor that she has not found in other artistic styles. The inherent risk of a single false stroke sharpens her focus and encourages a state of flow, transforming the act of painting into a meditative experience. Each brushstroke becomes a moment of intention, allowing her to engage deeply with her canvas.
Despite its challenges, she embraces watercolor for its ability to convey nuance and subtlety—qualities often absent in less demanding mediums. This choice allows her to explore the delicate interplay of shadows, reflections, and silhouettes, capturing the essence of light as it dances across the real world and onto paper. Through her art, she invites viewers to share in the journey of discovery and the beauty of fleeting moments.
