Biography:Keith Stanton was born in Downers Grove, Illinois in 1975.As a child growing up in the suburbs of Chicago Keith took painting and drawing classes through the park district. In high school he realized he only enjoyed making art and watching Chicago White Sox baseball. Being a latch key kid and a free spirit, Keith would take the train into the city and visit the Art Institute of Chicago and the Museum of Contemporary Art. Inspired by the Museum of Contemporary Art's Art at the Armory: Occupied Territory exhibition, Keith decided to attend art school. He ventured to Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona where in 1997 he received his BFA in Intermedia. After receiving his BFA Keith moved across the country. Working in New York he learned still-life photography at Kraft Food's photo studio. Living between Washington, D.C. and Mesa, Arizona Keith decided to study Display and Exhibit Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York, New York. At FIT he created models to help illustrate design proposals for retail interiors and display windows. Currently, Keith lives in Phoenix, Arizona and creates photographs of fabricated suburban landscapes. Artist Statement:My photographs are based on my curiosity with the post-modern idea that material wealth is a sign of achieving the "American Dream." The same "American Dream" which highlights the American lost sense of individuality, work ethic, thrift and craftsmanship. I create mixed media sculpture still-lifes of everyday suburban occurrences which make me question the "American Dream" and then photograph them to exact my point of view. My intention is attracting the viewer into examining the underlying marketing forces which shape everyday life. My latest series of images is entitled "Exemption From Occupation," based on a definition of the term leisure. My exploration of suburban backyard leisure activities is also inspired by the advertising and marketing collateral provided by swimming pool manufacturers. My choices in colors are part organic, part synthetic, yet distinctly artificial. I use an architect's scale during construction of the still-lifes to retain visual proportion. Also, by shooting the photographs with a macro lens, I am able to control the scale that is captured by the camera and allow the viewer to expand their worldview beyond mundane suburbia. www.keithstanton.com