Keith Andrew was born 1947 in London and studied at Beckenham School of Art and Ravensbourne College of Art and Design. He worked in London as a graphic artist before turning to painting full time in 1975 when he moved to Anglesey.
An extract from an introduction to a solo show written by the late Sir Kyffin Williams OBE, RA:
'Keith Andrew, born and trained in London, found in Anglesey an island that appealed to his contemplative nature and provided him with the subject matter that reflects it. He senses its antiquity and its intimacy, and has the intelligence to allow it to dictate the creation of his pictures and never imposes himself upon it. Keith Andrew is moved by the little things; by the narrow stream, by the broken window, the grouting of an ancient roof or by the lichen on an island wall. His searching eye selects what most people do not notice, but once he has made them aware they appreciate all the more what they have failed to see, and buy his pictures. The island, with its mysterious heartland is not his only source of inspiration. From his home he can see the distant mountains and is often working amongst them. Quiet, energetic, and determined, Keith Andrew is now very much a man locally regarded as an important cultural figure and we, who were born on the island are grateful to him, and hope he will stay with us, recording a Wales that is in constant danger from the seemingly inexhaustable desire of man to scar, pollute and desecrate our inheritance. Keith Andrew records our past and our present and in doing so warns us through apathy it might all be lost.'
Keith has exhibited widely across Wales, and has also shown in London and Europe. He became a member of the Royal Cambrian Academy in 1981.
Collections
Contemporary Art Society for Wales; Anglesey Borough Council; National Library of Wales; University of Wales Swansea; West Glamorgan County Library; Royal College of Surgeons Faculty of Anaesthetists; University of Wales Print Collection Aberystwyth; Amoco; British Gypsum; Ocean Transport & Trading Ltd; Milk Marketing Board; Texaco; Sheik Surror Abu Dhabi; Laura Ashley Foundation.
