About
About the Artist
Justin Key is a Wisconsin based, fine art nature photographer and artist. His work revolves around one simple goal, reconnect mankind with the Earth. In nature, peace, truth, and stillness await, creating a sense of wholeness and oneness with the world. His images provide space to steep in that experience, allowing the viewer to share in his connection with the landscape. Through this interaction, the whispered rewards of nature can be heard, subtle encouragement to ultimately inspire a renewed and deepened appreciation for the natural world.
Justin grew up grappling with his identity. Plagued by inadequacy, fear, and limiting beliefs, Justin found comfort in Mother Nature's embrace. Coupled with his budding passion for photography, Justin started documenting his experiences in nature, giving rise to his artistic voice. A slave to his eye, Justin intuitively followed his creative vision as it began to solidify his vacillating framework and establish a sense of peace. His work serves as an expression of his journey, with visuals honoring his reverence for the Earth and words sharing the profound wisdom revealed by these spaces. In a conflated world of stimulation, negativity, and division, Justin's work offers a simplistic solution to bring us home.
Justin was born and raised in Wisconsin. After graduating from Northern Michigan University with a photography degree, he moved to Denver, Colorado where he began his fine art career. After ten years in Denver, Justin returned home to continue his practice, currently residing in Green Bay with his wife, Sarah, their two boys, Jack and Oliver, and dog, Lambeau.
Origins
My photographic journey started at the age of twelve when my obsession with the ability to freeze time had me patiently filling my piggy bank. As the funds collected and the excitement built, the pursuit of a calling had begun. Walking out of that Best Buy with a little box full of pride and purpose, I took my first steps down the path I still walk today.
The first look through that viewfinder brought my eye to life and I started to see the world in compositions. It developed into my high school days as the sparks of my obsession were stoked into a fiery passion. As graduation approached, I was left pondering one important question about my future and there was only one I saw worth pursuing. That led me to the banks of Lake Superior and Northern Michigan University.
College became the creative gym for my eye now entrusted with my future. I entered with a focus on sports photography but the art program quickly broadened my vision, unleashing a creative firestorm that lit my passion ablaze. For four years I worked like a mad scientist, pushing the limitations of my camera, driven by my creative vision searching for its voice.
The real world arrived like a Northern Michigan blizzard and I spent a year lost in the fog. Through all the nights staring at the stars I never considered setting my sights on one. That is until a crazy idea uprooted me from everything I knew and set me before a new frontier in Colorado.
I owe everything to Sarah, the woman responsible for that crazy idea to leave home behind in pursuit of adventure. From the minute I saw her, I knew she was something special and when we landed in Denver it was clear that she was my guiding light. Then she posed the same question I asked myself in high school. If you could do anything, what would you do? So I married her.
Finding My Muse
The summer after my freshman year of college I rode a seaplane deep into the wilderness of Ontario. It landed on a lake so remote the only way in or out was the liquid runway that would be our home. Isolated in a cabin for a week, surrounded by forest too thick to enter, I got very familiar with Lake Abamasagi.
My best friend and I spent that week on the water chasing fish and making memories. Every morning, it was our vessel that broke the spell of stillness that befell those hallowed waters in the night. We’d fish until dark, eat our dinners fresh off the line, and fall asleep to the lullabies of the loon.
One evening I slipped out to the dock to watch the spell take effect. The moon was rising over the lake being soothed to sleep by the blues deepening in the sky. There was a steady rhythm from the water lapping against the dock, broken only by the metallic echo of a distant loon. The air was brisk but maintained a gentle embrace as if sensing the gratitude I was there to pay.
As I stared at the ripples bobbing in the moonlight, enduring the occasional shiver, I remember the magnitude of the moment sinking in. Reality was not an easy thing to lose but it had yet to cut a path to those placid shores. Basking in the bliss before me, I was present, wise to the fortune bestowed unto me. I savored the lingering light before turning in, preserving the memory so that secluded paradise is never too far away.
Long before photography became my passion, I was a student of mother nature. Her outstretched arms were my escape and her embrace provided peace and acceptance. Once the camera became a companion the experiences turned therapeutic. The camera slows time down. It puts me in a meditative state as I become one with the landscape. With my camera I am present, aware, and fully immersed in the blessing of the experience just like that night on the dock.
From the beginning my goal was simple, do what makes you happy. Photography was the obvious choice but fear held me back from choosing my specialty. In the end, I had to remember that goal and trust my heart to make the decision. So, I stepped up to the base of the Rocky Mountains with my camera and a heart full of ambition and started climbing.
My Eye and Its Vision
When I bought my first camera at the age of twelve I was ecstatic about my new toy and yet it sat idle for weeks before recording its first exposure. The momentous purchase called for a proper christening and I had the patience to wait for inspiration to strike. Then, one fateful January morning in Wisconsin, the moment finally came. Riding in our family minivan, I had zoned out in the backseat watching the snow covered farm fields fly by when I was overcome by the sudden urge to take a picture. After convincing my Dad to turn around and pull over, I stepped out into the frigid winter air and my eye was born.
The photographer’s eye is the inherent voice within every photographer that drives our work. It’s the commander of the camera that determines when to draw, where to aim, and how to shoot. This creative muscle is constantly dissecting the world around us in search of inspiration. Built on photographic knowledge and fueled by creativity, the photographer’s eye is the intuitive reflex that guides us in the field. Over time, it defines our style, with encouragement, it will give birth to the artist within, and, with persistence, it will reveal secrets of the self.
Ever since that fateful morning in rural Wisconsin, I’ve been following my eye. It spent years finding its legs like a newborn deer but with trust and patience it learned to run. Amid this evolution, it developed a voice with the camera playing the role of interpreter. Deciphering its photographic messages revealed its vision and the more attuned I became the more I understood my connection to the landscape and my images.
The key to my work is clarity. The peace I find in nature allows me to escape the confines of my mind and become present. This state of being magnifies the experience, expanding my eye and deepening my awareness. Without thought clouding its vision, my eye is free to engage with the landscape openly, capturing the intrinsic beauty revealed with patient curiosity and deep admiration.
My eye seeks to capture the essence and serenity of nature while preserving its natural beauty. My work is intended to encourage people to indulge in the splendor of the outdoors, to slow down and bask in the blessing of the moment, and witness firsthand the inner peace I experience during my conversations with the Earth.
From a young age, I ran to nature because of the tranquility I found there. My eye helped me realize the truth of that relationship. Then, as it matured, it helped me establish that same sense of calm within the internal landscape as well. This is what it ultimately desires to give to the world.
The Work
The work displayed on this website is the best representation of my creative vision that I have produced to date. Initially, I set out to capture the peace of nature but, over time, have learned to use it as a means of expression as well. This gallery depicts my evolution with nature, with my art, and with myself.
My journey’s origin can be found in the Eden Collection. My original portfolio, this body of work showcases the progression of my eye with photos dating back to 2009. While its vision has evolved, the experiences it has captured remain consistent. My travels have brought me to some amazing places and the intimate connections I’ve had around the world are archived here. The photos preserve the memories, recording the beauty and emotions found in each location, while the titles provide the soundtrack to match.
After a few years of dedicating myself to nature, the artist within began to emerge and I began finding deeper inspiration in the landscape. Ideas started interweaving with compositions, pushing me to look inward for the connection. The subsequent series that I’ve created have provided an outlet for this internal exploration, unlocking a spiritual connection to the natural world and a more fulfilling connection with my self.
The Eidolon Series was my first endeavor into artistic expression. The black and white, abstract series explores the phantom-like forms of falling water. As I grappled with an untimely death, the Eidolon Series grew to represent the unyielding passage of time, the inevitable arrival of fate, and the unknown journey into the beyond. As I dealt with my grief, this series aided the healing process as I grew to accept the natural flow of life.
Overwhelming inspiration birthed my second series, the Sands Study. The series represents the spoils of purgatory, the peace awaiting those that endure the monumental suffering of the metaphorical state. For me however, it grew into a reminder of my journey ahead, a grueling grind through an ever shifting landscape that would inevitably give rise to self actualization. Producing the Sands Study provided physical proof of the possibilities that await one willing to persevere through the punishment of such difficult terrain.
Through my continued pursuit of self discovery, I became conscious of the conditions that cultivate my creativity. While I was aware of nature's ability to dissolve filters of perception, I was not privy to the depth of the conversations that occurred in that state of being. As I transitioned from the picturesque grandeur of the west to the reserved ruggedness of Wisconsin I found myself moving with more patience and gratitude. The quiet midwest landscape is not quick to reveal itself but, as I developed an appreciation for its unabashed authenticity, I found surrendering to its abrasive honesty created moments of pure connectedness. These moments allowed for intimate conversations with an Earth that was no longer separate from I and as these experiences accumulated they gave birth to the Liminal Collection.
My most recent release, the Syzygy Collection, expresses insight into the true nature of order and chaos. The series is comprised of partnered photos that, individually, represent one side of the cosmological scale while together they reflect the eternal balance that governs the universe. The Syzygy Collection arose during a period of immense change that ultimately revealed the futility in trying to control that beyond my power. Originally two separate bodies of work, contrasting similarities revealed their natural dichotomy around the same time the currents of chaos in my life came to rest. The forms featured in each piece are a reminder of one's place in the grand scheme no matter the existing state of affairs.
The Future
I have no plans for my future.
My process has never favored an agenda, it flows with the current of my creative intuition. Creativity thrives untamed, as such, I wait for its call to beckon me to my next endeavor. Seeds of inspiration are always being sown and, while some are nurtured, I’m never in a rush to harvest. I can promise that I have a lot more creating ahead of me, what you see in this gallery is just the beginning.
If you like my work, my message, my vision, I recommend joining my newsletter. Anything and everything happening in my world will come to your inbox at the beginning of every month. I may not know where my eye will take me next but my subscribers will be sure to know when I get there.
For my collectors, I recommend registering as a Keyholder. Keyholders are the first notified of new limited editions ready for release and enjoy first right to acquisition. Those interested in owning a one of a kind photograph need only an email to unlock their exclusive access.
Thank you for showing an interest in my work and for taking the time to learn more about me and my creative process. If you ever want to connect, please don’t hesitate to reach out. I would love to speak with you!