Charles Keiger paints colorful, folksy narratives with elements of the surreal. Keiger’s lighthearted scenes exist in a world somewhere outside this universe—perhaps in a dream, literal but more stylized. “I like to live and paint inside my head. My vision toward my art is inward.” He’s excited about what’s on his easel right now, figures he calls “silly” but “confident in their demeanor.” Concluding, “I may be a clown, but I’m comfortable with who I am.”

Mid-Morning Lesson, 20x18, 2006, oil on wood

His highly attractive style marries the Renaissance tradition and painting technique with that of the early surrealists, poking the psyche with its humor and often-haunting symbolism. Most of his works feature one central figure in a rural setting. From there, an archetype or character reveals itself, and a familiar scene of Americana unfolds. If he does paint a city, it’s always way off in the background.

“There’s implied narrative in everything he does—but you have to put the pieces together.”

Raised in the Carolinas, Keiger is inspired by Southern imagery and shows all over the Southern region. His next exhibition will be a part of the “Art of Books” exhibit, a salute to the Southern Festival of Books, that opens October 3 through 31 at The Arts Company on 5th Avenue in Nashville. Gallery owner, Anne Brown, says, “He’s got such a narrative quality to his work, I thought this was a great way to think about the art of books. There’s implied narrative in everything he does—but you have to put the pieces together.” As a category of art, he places himself most in line with the “low brow” movement.

After losing both his parents this past year, he notices he’s done several floating figures above water. “It’s true, I feel a bit ungrounded,” he shares. Similar tensions are repeated in other paintings where speed plays in stark contrast to static figures, or an old-world costume is placed against a futurist landscape. Keiger paints everyday objects in different contexts to provoke a new meaning. While out jogging one day, he saw a pink flamingo in a yard. Of himself he asked, “What can I do to that image to make people see it differently?”

His work challenges, entertains, and takes you someplace else. He reminds us that we’re all living in our own little world and gives us clues to seeing it differently, seeing the world inside out. Many standing in front of his work are heard saying, “I’m so interested; I’m trying to figure out what’s going on.” To that Keiger makes a prophetic statement, “Sometimes you don’t know the meaning of a painting until much later.” A mix of oddities and charm, objects come to life, giving off the feeling that in Keiger’s world, anything is possible.