After a long hiatus because of the Covid pandemic, the Gilpin Public Library will resume their art exhibition program. The first show will run from August 28 through October 16, and feature local photographer, Robin Keys.

Keys said she moved to Central City a year ago from Englewood and has lived in Colorado since 1999 while her son attended high school.

“I am very excited about the exhibit at the library,” she said. The show will include 20 pieces, mostly if not all nature related. She also does design, illustration and painting.

“I am very inspired by landscape photography and also baseball.” She started baseball photography when her son played through his junior year in high school, and now her son is headed to college Tuesday.

In addition to the exhibition, she was a winner in the Off the Clock contest and the American Photographic Artists of LA.

“I was so surprised to get the email, so I read it a thousand times. It was the first time I had entered a photograph, so I was stunned and excited,” she said.

She joined the Gilpin County Arts Association when she first moved here. “It is an amazing association,” she declared. She received first place in the Gilpin County 74th Annual Arts Juried Show for her photograph, Standing Watch, of Mt. Evans.

Robin B. Keys was born and raised in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration, having taken many art classes along the way. After a brief time in the financial industry, she lived in Kyoto, Japan, for the next few years where she studied Shotokan karate and taught university students English.

Upon her return to the States, she enjoyed a wonderful career in sports marketing. First, she was part of the Sports Marketing Group at Frankel Marketing and Promotions in Chicago, where she met her husband. With the mutual goal of living in Colorado, she was excited for the opportunity to work at the United States Olympic Committee in Colorado Springs.

Once their son was born, Robin was able to enjoy being a parent as her primary role, a dream come true. She established Robin Keys (freelance) Design in 2006 when her son started kindergarten. Her graphic design and illustration can be seen in corporate communication, logos and personal projects.

She first turned to the camera in earnest to “cope with” watching her son play baseball. Baseball is still one of her favorite things to photograph along with nature, and people.

Robin lives in Central City with her husband, college-bound son and dog. She enjoys the outdoors (almost always with a camera) especially mountain biking with friends and family, music and sports.

Her photos explore how Robin has always experienced the world in terms of shape, color, line, texture and proportion and with love for wildlife. The commonalities in a variety of nature’s settings can be endlessly interesting and emotional; she feels black and white photography or lack of color can enhance this. Notice the shape of the mountains as it relates to the shapes of the pines, a wing compared to the spire; and of course the texture of a sheep’s coat and that of the clouds; the curves created by the wind in the sand or is that snow?

Further, the beautiful crescent shadows of the lunar eclipse and the moon itself. The juxtaposition of rock and clouds create movement in stillness. There are endless feelings and ideas to discover. The infinitesimal amount of time for the shutter to capture a photo is disproportionate to the potential power of the image. Or perhaps it is just fun to look at? Robin hopes that the photographs will capture one’s attention for at least as long as it took for the shutter to close. And maybe inspire, to notice even more, how nature creates and relates.

The official opening of the show at the Gilpin Library will be on Saturday, September 11 from 12 to 2 p.m.

The Gilpin County Library is located at 15131 Highway 119 Black Hawk, Colorado. For more information you can call 303-582-5777 or visit their website www.gilpinlibrary.org.