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An illustration of a person with a red torso kneeling on a dark ground. They weep over a tiny white house, with a single tear falling onto its roof.

Illustrating life's gloomy side perfectly, Keith Negley's illustrations are beautiful

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Date
16 October 2012

It takes an impressive person to put a positive spin on life’s gloomy patches; after all “the undeniable impact mankind has had on the planet” has never been the rosiest of conversation topics. But what an impressive man Keith Negley is; illustrating the gloomiest of things in the most beautiful ways. It has to be said that this New York creative is one fine illustrator!

Specialising in editorial and with a client list stretching further than a can of silly string in the hands of a smarties-infused five year old, (try The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg for some name-dropping) it’s easy to see why he’s so regularly commissioned.

With his never-ending colour palette and exploration of life’s dark themes – including depression (New York Times Book Review: Michael Mogriff) and loss (New York Times Book Review: Graham Swift) – in a uniquely beautiful and curious way, Keith’s illustrations are some of the most sensitive we’ve laid eyes on.

An illustration of two people lying on a red picnic blanket in a green forest. Two bicycles lean nearby, while tall, white, stylised tree trunks cast long shadows across the grass.
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Keith Negley: Corporate Knights

An illustration of two small figures climbing a steep, dark mountain peak against a textured blue background. A few stylised white clouds float across the middle ground, with smaller blue peaks visible below.
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Keith Negley: Global Brief

An illustration of a dark silhouette of a person standing in a snowy birch forest. They carry a quiver of arrows on their back and hold a bow.
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Keith Negley: Columbia Magazine

An illustration of a person curled in a fetal position, submerged in deep blue water. Above the surface, their head appears as a small, sandy island with two white caravans parked on top.
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Keith Negley: New York Times Book Review (Graham Swift)

An illustration of a sleek yellow and white high-speed train travelling across a stone viaduct. A gap in the tracks lies directly ahead, with broken masonry falling into a deep blue mountain valley.
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Keith Negley: The New Republic

An illustration of a person and a child standing in a dark, sparse forest. The person reaches out to touch a tree trunk while a white car is visible in the distance.
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Keith Negley: Father’s Day

An illustration of a person lying in a bathtub, viewed from above. A mirrored reflection above them shows the same figure in a dark room, with a red heart shape visible behind a shower curtain.
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Keith Negley: New York Times Book Review (Michael Mogriff)

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About the Author

Anya Lawrence

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