Daniel Keys AOTW May/June 2024

Daniel Keys is successful, in- spired—and inspiring. He’s earned prestigious awards for his paintings, which are included in collections throughout the world, and is inspired by the beauty around him. He’s also generous, giving back through two programs he de- veloped to encourage young artists: the Sierra Art Group and the Palette Project. He got the idea for both pro- grams while painting with the late master artist Richard Schmid, who had formed the Putney Painters on the East Coast.

“I wanted to replicate that, so I started the Sierra Art Group,” Keys says, adding that the group paints to- gether at A Sense of Place, an art gal- lery near his home outside Fresno, California. “We get together every Saturday; it’s my favorite day of the week. There are about 12 of us, art- ists of different skill levels. There’s something special about being with other artists and working side by side with them.”