2021
In Keith Carter's work, there is always more than meets the eye. The contemporary American photographer's pictures have a Surrealist quality, and Carter has a way of transforming the ordinary into the otherworldly. He strives to bring out the significance of the moment with black and white, figurative and abstract photography that has a deep sense of time and place.
Carter was born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1948. He grew up in Beaumont, Texas, where he also studied business management at Lamar University, graduating in 1970. After finding himself drawn to taking pictures, Carter started working as a commercial photographer.
Photography proved a successful and fruitful calling, and Carter earned recognition for his work over the years. In 1997, his photography was nationally televised on CBS Sunday Morning. Celebrities also started collecting Carter's photographs, including Julia Roberts, Steven Spielberg, Diane Keaton, Elton John, Vanessa Redgrave and Barack Obama.
Carter was awarded the Texas Medal of Arts in 2009. Unfortunately, that same year, he was diagnosed with melanoma in his left eye, leaving him with limited vision. His photographic work helped him get through the experience: he even decided to make photographs focused on sight itself. Carter began experimenting with materials like silver gelatin and archival pigment to mimic the cloudiness of his vision.
Carter is represented by PDNB Gallery in Dallas, Texas, as well as by other galleries across the United States. In speaking to Introspective, the owners of PDNB Gallery describe Carter as a "Texas legend" and explain that they were following his work before they even opened their gallery. Their first 1997 show with the artist was described as a "blockbuster."
Carter's work is held in the collections at the Art Institute of Chicago, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Smithsonian American Art Museum and many more prestigious institutions. He holds the Endowed Walles Chair of Art at Lamar University and continues to exhibit and hold workshops across the United States.
On 1stDibs, find a collection of original Keith Carter photography.
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 16 in
Flying V, color landscape photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Flying V, color landscape photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordinary” b...
Archival Ink
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 16 in
Ibis on Clouds, color landscape photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Ibis on Clouds, color landscape photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordina...
Archival Ink
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 16 in
Turner Clouds, color photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Turner Clouds, color photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordinary” by the...
Archival Ink
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 16 in
Bullrushes, color landscape photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Bullrushes, color landscape photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordinary”...
Archival Ink
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 16 in
Sunken Weathervane, color photograph, signed and numbered, limited edition
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Sunken Weathervane, color photograph, signed and numbered, limited edition Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordinary” b...
Archival Ink
Gossamer Autumn
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Sky & Water During our historic pandemic, I began morning walks through the marshlands west of town. I felt that I was walking through prehistory, and could count on seeing at least one small miracle each day: luminous reflected clouds in water, a nonchalant bobcat, frolicking river otters...
Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 20 in
Earth, Moon, and Water, limited edition, archival pigment ink print, signed
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Earth, Moon, and Water, limited edition, archival pigment ink print, signed and numbered Ghostland is an exploration of the flora, fauna, and folklore of swamplands in the American ...
Archival Pigment
$4,400
H 48 in W 72 in
Seascape XV - large format photograph of monochrome water surface and Clouds
By Frank Schott
Located in San Francisco, CA
Mesmerizing large scale photograph from artist's Seascape series, a body of works capturing the tactile surfaces and monochromatic nature of oceanic water and cloudscapes Seascape ...
Archival Ink, Archival Paper, Photographic Paper, Giclée, Archival Pigment
Price Upon Request
H 16 in W 16 in
Swirls, color photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Swirls, color photograph, limited edition, signed and numbered Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordinary” by the Los An...
Archival Ink
Price Upon Request
H 20 in W 16 in
Egret in Flight, limited edition photograph, signed and numbered
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Sante Fe, NM
Egret in Flight, limited edition photograph, signed and numbered Keith Carter’s work explores time, place, and vernacular culture. Described as a “Poet of the Ordinary” by the Los ...
Archival Ink
Egret in Flight
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Denton, TX
Edition of 25 Archival pigment print Paper size: 22 x 17 in., Image size: 20 x 16 in. Signed, titled, dated and numbered in pencil on print verso by Keith Carter Series: Ghostlight ...
Archival Pigment
Earth, Moon and Water by Keith Carter, 2013, Archival Pigment Print, Photography
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Denton, TX
Earth, Moon and Water by Keith Carter presents a tranquil scene. The full, shining moon reflects in the still water, accompanied by reflections of trees and brush. The hazy edges of ...
Archival Pigment
Rookery Study #3 by Keith Carter, 2019, Archival Pigment Print
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Denton, TX
Rookery Study #3 by Keith Carter presents an ethereal scene. Barren trees stand in the murky swamp, emerging from the hazy atmosphere. White egrets and black cormorants rest in the b...
Archival Pigment
Angelina by Keith Carter, 2021, Archival Pigment Print
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Denton, TX
Angelina by Keith Carter presents a sublime scene. A branch dips into the calm and quiet river. Trees line the river's edge, extending back to the horizon. The stillness in the water reflect the overhanging foliage, creating a dreamlike scene. Angelina by Keith Carter is listed as a 16 x 16 inch archival pigment print, with the paper size measuring 22 x 17 inches. It is available in an edition of 25. This photograph is signed, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil on print verso by Keith Carter. Angelina is from Carter's series, Ghostlight. Keith Carter is an American photographer who is known for his dreamlike black and white photographs of the figure, animals, and meaningful objects. He began photographing new and unknown realities using East Texas natives as subjects. This population and background setting spoke to the folklore, religious, and cultural motifs Carter was visually exploring. Since his start in Texas, his work continues to push imaginative realms while reaching prestigious artistic and technical status. In 1970, Carter earned a Business Management degree from Lamar University and began his career as a commercial photographer while working on personal projects. These personal projects have become a strong and highly sought after collection that have become twelve published monographs. Carter currently teaches photography at Lamar University as a Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. He travels worldwide providing photography lectures and workshops for artists. Carter’s fine art photography collections...
Archival Pigment
Rookery Study #5
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Denton, TX
Edition 3 out of 25. Archival pigment print Paper size: 17 x 22 in., Image size: 16 x 20 in. Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil on print verso Series: Ghostlight Keith C...
Archival Pigment
Nesting Tree Study #2 by Keith Carter, 2012, Archival Pigment Print
By Keith Carter b.1948
Located in Denton, TX
Nesting Tree Study #2 by Keith Carter presents a group of white egrets perched in a grove of bald cypress trees. The branches hold nests for the birds, creating a habitat in the swampy landscape of the Big Thicket. Edition 8 of 25 Archival pigment print Paper size: 17 x 22 in., Image size: 16 x 20 in. Signed, titled, dated, and numbered in pencil on print verso by Keith Carter Series: Ghostlight Keith Carter is an American photographer who is known for his dreamlike black and white photographs of the figure, animals, and meaningful objects. He began photographing new and unknown realities using East Texas natives as subjects. This population and background setting spoke to the folklore, religious, and cultural motifs Carter was visually exploring. Since his start in Texas, his work continues to push imaginative realms while reaching prestigious artistic and technical status. In 1970, Carter earned a Business Management degree from Lamar University and began his career as a commercial photographer while working on personal projects. These personal projects have become a strong and highly sought after collection that have become twelve published monographs. Carter currently teaches photography at Lamar University as a Distinguished Faculty Lecturer. He travels worldwide providing photography lectures and workshops for artists. Carter’s fine art photography collections...
Archival Pigment
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