Keith Sluder is an extremely versatile artist. In mediums from watercolor paintings to graphite drawings, his images include nostalgic rural scenery, the bride of Frankenstein, pictures of pottery and portraits of pets.

He describes his self-developed style as "magic realism." His paintings are often picture-perfect realism, with a splash of surreal.

Although his subjects vary, a thread connects most of his work: "My artwork is dedicated to the vanishing way of life in America," according to his artist statement.

He also draws portraits in graphite or pen and ink. He's done American Indian faces, usually based on pictures that date back as far as the 1800s. He doubts any artist could draw a American Indian straight from their mind.

He's sketched celebrities, such as William Holden, and spent time with Ernest Borgnine to do a portrait for the award-winning actor.

His family first moved to San Diego when he was 7.

He said he was sickly as a child, so when the weather wasn't just right he had to stay inside and watch TV. "I drew pictures to amuse myself."

When he was 10, his father bought him a canvas and some oil paints. He was overwhelmed with the smells and textures. "I became obsessed with it."

After high school he entered a training program at Boeing in San Diego and started drawing for a living. He worked as an architectural draftsman and illustrator for Boeing Aircraft. Later he became an illustrator for General Dynamics, a large defense contractor that builds missiles, ships and other military hardware. He drew weapons, such as the F-111 fighter.

After working all day as an illustrator, he'd come home to create his own style of art.

He started showing and selling artwork in his 20s. In the 1970s and 1980s, his success grew and his work was in demand from coast to coast.

But his first big setback hit him in the 1980s when he was involved in a 15-car accident on an L.A. freeway. It left him with whiplash and nerve damage in his neck and shoulder that affected his hand-eye coordination. It took years to heal and relearn to paint such meticulous details.

He's been commissioned to create more than 100 natural scenery paintings for the Red Rock Visitor Center in Las Vegas, he said. He also plans to create a series of children's murals with a book to go with them. He plans to continue painting pet portraits on commission.

But topping his agenda is a series of paintings in a Native American theme, depicting an old Pawnee legend. He doesn't want to reveal his plans but said the images will include two huge collages that tell a story. Smaller paintings will focus on parts of the collage.

"This will be my prime," he said.