About

Short Bio

Keith Demanche is a pastel painter living in the Seacoast of New Hampshire with his wife Stacy and his two long-haired Dachshunds.

Statement

In my work I hope to show others what I see, the natural places of quiet hope in man’s chaotic world. When out painting plein air, I find the interaction of man and nature captivating - those sometimes dreary intersections of wildness and urban sprawl often reveal a lot about how I see the world. There is always a push and pull I want to capture. There is no place better than at my easel on a riverbend or in a parking lot to find a little corner that speaks to me.

Biography

I began painting like a lot artists do — after not finding the creative outlet I needed in design and illustration. I helped start two weekly newspapers and worked digitally in Photoshop, Illustrator, etc., and I always found I wanted more realistic textures and exciting marks than the computer could offer. So I started making my own marks and fields of colors to incorporate into my digital images.

One project after another, one class at a time - from MassArt to three or four day workshops - I found that I really loved the tactile give and take of finding solutions that sing and not just a compilation of marks and strokes. I finally realized I actually wanted to be a painter.
Pastels fit my style perfectly. I love to capture a moment en plein air without hesitation

Resume / CV

Select Recent Shows:
2023
Dakota National Juried Exhibition - Online Exhibit
“99 Voices in Pastel” PSWC Juried Exhibit - Haggin Museum, CA
“For Pastels Only” Pastel Painters Society of Cape Cod
2022
Uart National Juried Pastel Show - Online Exhibit
Master Artist Exhibition, Hills Gallery - Newburyport, MA
Guild of Boston Artists Annual Regional Juried Exhibition - Boston, MA
2021
38th International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibit - Chicago, IL
Plein Air Invitational - Jaffrey, NH
2020
37th International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibit - Online
CPS “Renaissance in Pastel” Juried Exhibition - Online
“Shared Vision” Five Person Show, Fivesparks Gallery - Harvard, MA
2019
“4 The Love of Pastel” Four Person Show, Wild Salamander Gallery - Hollis, NH
34th International Association of Pastel Societies Exhibit - Albuquerque, NM
“It’s Pastel” Pastel Society of NH National Juried Exhibition - Portsmouth, NH

Select Awards:
Honorable Mention, Dakota Online Juried Exhibition, 2023
Best In Pastel, Newburyport Winter Juried Show, 2022
Rabbit Air Award, Pastel Society of NH Juried Exhibition, 2021
Second Place, Central Mass Pastel Society Member Show, 2021
Best in Show, Pastel Society of NH Member Show, 2020
Caran d’Arche Special Award, UART 2016 Online Juried Pastel Show

Affiliations:
IAPS Master Circle Designation
Signature Member: Pastel Society of NH, Central Mass Pastel Society
Master Artist: Newburyport Art Association
2017 Artist-in-Residence, Studio 550 Arts, Manchester, NH