Keith Norval

Raleigh, North Carolina

Keith Norval is professional painter, printmaker and art instructor. Norval works in his Artspace studio and teaches at the Pullen Arts Center and Artspace Summer Arts Program in Raleigh, North Carolina. He received his BFA from the Savannah College of Art and Design located in historic downtown Savannah, GA.   Norval was born and raised in Harare, Zimbabwe. His father was an entomologist, studying tick borne diseases, specifically heartwater disease. Due to the many experiments and studies he did, much time was spent in the bush. Zebras, elephants and antelope were common sights with an occasional lion or hippopotamus.   After moving to Gainesville, FL at the age of 12, Norval focused on his artwork even more. Influenced by American comics, he began to create his own animal characters using the bright and warm colors that he remembered from his time in Zimbabwe. His whimsical cast of characters appear in nature, on farms and in business suits. They sometimes gaze back at the viewer with their ever-present floating eyes. Norval's work has been exhibited throughout the Southeast and is collected internationally. Recent projects include a mural in the Albany Children's Hospital in Albany, New York and shows in Vail, Colorado and Miami, Florida.