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Fall
Collecting Rocky Mountain Color Local Paint Shop Owner Creates Paint Palette Celebrating Outdoors
No, Keller was far from the shop, exploring the Rocky Mountains. A Montana boy, If the saying is true, there’s Keller grew up loving to nothing new under the sun, explore the treasures found then there are no new paint under the Big Sky. That theme colors, either. But there are continued into adulthood. In the moments he wasn’t new paint collections. working, Keller was traipsing A local paint shop owner, around the state, appreciating Jeff Keller, has discovered Montana’s awe-inspiring and curated one of those new colors. And inspire they did. collections. Owner of The “I worked with a local Paint Factory in Bozeman horticulturist,” Keller and handy with a paintbrush since age 13, Keller has finally explains. “He opened my eyes with how to see color. Nature had his color breakthrough. is overwhelming, but when But it didn’t happen in the you take one item, solo, it store, during the workday. helps you see colors.” He wasn’t glancing at paint swatches one day when Keller started noticing the he drummed up his deep rust colors in different new collection. soil samples he collecte. The
hues of wildflowers and lichen, taken separately, awed him. Fall leaves offered their own palette of rich tones. Eventually, Keller separated his treasure into five distinct categories: soil, leaves, flowers, rocks, and natural grasses. He carefully pressed flower and leaf samples and put soil in clear, labeled
