DISCOVER THE STORY
A Lifetime Spent Studying Color
Long before the first specimen was pressed or the first print was framed, this collection began with a lifelong fascination with the colors found in nature.
CHAPTER 01
The Spark
The spark Jeff needed to begin the project came, as many endeavors do, over a beer. In 2015, he met naturalist and horticulturist Jim Foster and shared the natural-color study he had been contemplating for years.
Jim immediately saw its potential. Their conversation led to a series of planned excursions through the mountains and valleys surrounding Bozeman, Montana, where observation became collection and a long-held idea began to take physical form.
CHAPTER 02
The Search Expands
What began in the mountains and valleys surrounding Bozeman soon grew beyond a single region. Over time, Jeff expanded his search throughout the Rocky Mountain corridor gathering the soils, flowers, foliage, rocks and geological specimens that revealed the natural color of each place.
The collection eventually reached beyond the Rockies to include the deserts of the Southwest. Years later, a month-long journey down the Pacific Coast Highway introduced an entirely new study: colorful and distinctive beach sands that would ultimately grow into an international assortment.
Chapter 03
Building the Team
As the project grew, so did the need for specialized expertise. Jeff knew the collection deserved the same level of care in documentation and craftsmanship that had gone into discovering each specimen.
While Jeff continued to guide field research with Jim Foster, friend and photographer Roper Green’s photography captured not only the remarkable color and intricate detail of each specimen, but also a sense of dimensionality. The resulting images are so true to life that many viewers initially mistake them for actual pressed flowers displayed beneath glass or acrylic. When it came time to transform years of research into a curated color library, Jim Schumacher spent nearly a year producing thousands of custom color drawdowns and handcrafting the signature frames and reclaimed-wood furniture that became part of the collection's identity.
Each contribution was essential. Together, the team transformed decades of observation into a body of work that could be shared with the world.
Chapter 04
From Field Study to Collection
Every specimen followed the same deliberate path—from discovery in the field to its final place within the Keller Collection.
Plants were carefully pressed, soils and sands meticulously cataloged, and each specimen photographed under consistent conditions. Custom color drawdowns transformed these observations into a cohesive color library.
This evolution led one international industry professional to suggest that this comprehensive and authentic work possessed relevance world-wide by simply representing “Colors of the Earth.”
Chapter 05
From Color Palette to Art Collection
The project began as an in-depth study of natural colors represented for the paint industry. But as the collection took shape, industry professionals encouraged Jeff to focus on the artwork emerging from the pressed flowers, foliage, and more than 300 soil colors.
That advice opened a new path. The collection expanded into an extensive offering of giclée prints and carefully selected alternative mediums designed for hospitality and interior environments.
CHAPTER 06
A Turning Point Toward Art
After four decades in the paint industry, Jeff recognized it was time for the project to become his primary focus. Stepping away from the Bozeman paint store he founded in 2003 can now allow him to fully focus on introducing the artwork - and the Color Story behind the collection, to the design community, buyers and collectors.
What began as a personal study of nature's palette had evolved into a body of work ready to share with the world.
quietly evolving for a decade
A Lifetime in Color
For anyone who was patiently waiting, Jeff offers a sincere apology. His commitment to his business and community kept this project quietly evolving for a decade before it was ready to be shared.
Touched by countless color enthusiasts and industry professionals along the way, the collection became something far greater than one person's vision. Jeff simply hopes you'll discover something that connects you to this labor of love.
In its simplest form, Colors of the Earth is the culmination of a lifetime spent observing, working with, and celebrating Color.
This evolution led industry experts to simply see the elaborate project as representing "Colors of the Earth".
industry recognitions
"Jeff Keller has curated an inspiring and authentic array of colors based on indigenous soils, wildflowers, and natural artifacts. This unique collection is impressive in its scope and for the technical care with which it was developed and displayed."
- Carl Minchew - VP Color Innovation & Design, Benjamin Moore & Co.
The Story Behind the Collection
Hear Jeff share the origins of the project, the search for color in the natural world, and how years of observation ultimately developed into Colors of the Earth.
Featured In
MIX Magazine Colour Hive, London Int'l Color Forecasting Journal
MIX magazine is a biannual forecasting publication produced by the Colour Hive in London, a subsidiary of the Duha Group. It is a subscription publication used by manufacturers in the paint, textile and cosmetic industries to track emerging trends and become familiar with great color stories.