Distinctly Montana Magazine

D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA N A • FA L L 2 0 1 8 42 HOW DO THE SEASONS IMPACT THE NATURAL COLOR SELECTION, AND DOES THAT IMPACT VARY YEAR-TO-YEAR? e seasons are what make the collection full-spectrum, except for the rock and soil categories. ey don't care what month it is, which makes them the constants and arguably the foundation of the collection. Since I began to really pay attention, I've noticed that year to year foliage, flowers, and grasses ebb and flow with pre- cipitation and temperatures, resulting in some years certain types of color didn't peak due to it being an off year. Good thing there is always next year. DESCRIBE THE PROCESS AND EFFECT YOU ARE TRYING TO ACHIEVE WITH YOUR ART PRINT OFFERINGS. Roper and I approached the collection from different angles, I always saw it as color, and he immediately saw it as a natural col- lection, which he felt needed to be documented with photos. e process and intention of the photography was to first and foremost capture the actual color of the specimens. Roper had a plan and we were quite happy with the outcome of those "diligent" efforts. What Roper also captured was dimension, many of the photo- graphs are so life-like that many people seeing them for the first time feel the need to reach out and touch them to see if they were real pressings. Color & Dimension were the primary focus. YOU HAVE MANAGED TO CREATE AN INTERESTING MIX OF ARTISTRY AND BUSINESS WITH YOUR COLLECTION. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR CREATION EVOLVE OVER THE NEXT FEW YEARS? I don't really see an end game for the Keller Collection; it just evolved over time into a pretty legit study in regional color that lends itself to a variety of things. When the heads of the Benjamin Moore color department came to work with the collection, BM color trend forecaster Nivara Xaykao commented "e cosmetic industry would love these soil colors!" at's when there were 78, now there are 125 representing almost every color family. I've honestly just enjoyed people's reaction to it all along. Since its' completion it has been in two extended gallery showings, a couple of art walks, had some great editorial, and a fun launch party at the Rialto where Benjamin Moore, along with the Design, Construc- tion and Art communities gave us a much-appreciated two thumbs up! It was also really cool to get a stamp of approval from Montana State University's Land Resource Dept. (soils) and Earth Science Dept. (rocks). I couldn't be more appreciative of Dr. Tony Harts- horn and graduate students Briana Whitehead and Jordan Allen for their shared interest in and time spent working with the Soils and Rock categories. FINALLY, WHAT DO YOU HOPE PEOPLE APPRECIATE MOST ABOUT THE KELLER COLLECTION? Probably three things. First, its' relevance throughout the West. ese natural colors were identified all along Montana's Rocky Mountain corridor, but can be seen and admired from the Rockies to the Sierras and everywhere in between. Secondly, the passion and effort that it took on the part of the many people who con- tributed to completing this "casual" collection of Rocky Mountain color. And last, nature is so full of color that it can be overwhelm- ing, but once you slow down enough to get a given item by itself, you're able to appreciate its color and the part it plays in the big picture. The Keller Collection doesn't reinvent color, it defines Rocky Mountain color. PLEASE VISIT US AT www.KellerCollection.com JEFF KELLER

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