Keith
Wilde
Wilde
is a narrative artist, and in this series he is telling
stories about an often occupied yet little appreciated
and poorly understood geographical region he likes
to call the "Highway Zone". The Highway Zone is a
geographical region like any other in that it is defined
by a landscape with certain physical characteristics
that give rise to predictable cultural responses.
The Highway Zone is defined by the corridors of least
resistance and fosters a culture of traffic poachers,
travelers, auto fanatics, and more. All of which are
connected. Wilde has occupied this Highway Zone for
the majority of his life. As a child, he grew up in
the village of Norwich, Ohio, a classic highway town
that poached traffic along the closely braided arteries
of the Zane Gray Trail, National Road, Route 40 and
I-70. Because he sees it as his place of origin, and
frequently occupies the Highway Zone, Wilde is obliged
to see it as a source of identity and view it with
empathy. He believes it has many stories worth recognizing
and considering.
Wilde chooses to render his experience of the Highway
Zone by creating realistic images of the landscapes
over a highly textured surface. An accurately rendered
image provides the viewer with a sense of recognition,
and it also lets them know that he is dedicated to,
and serious about, his subject.
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