Tie-dye artist's modern-day creations remain faithful to ancient tradition

Most people consider the decorative clothing treatment known as tie-dye as an art form birthed in the 1960s, but it actually has roots that span thousands of years.

Madison County resident Randy Keen is a 21st-century purveyor of tie-dyed T-shirts, but his attitude about the sartorial style is firmly grounded in a generation long gone.

"To me, tie-dye means friendly," the longtime Hull resident said. "If I'm walking down the sidewalk and I see a person walking toward me wearing tie-dye, I'm going to assume he's an open-minded, friendly person and that we'll have a friendly encounter. He's somebody who thinks beyond the box."

A Brunswick native who moved to the Athens area some 30 years ago, Keen learned the art of tie-dye from Jeff Hannan, one of the first people he met when he arrived in the Classic City.

Although they'd known each other for decades, Hannan didn't impart his tie-dye knowledge to Keen until just recently.

"I got started in the spring of 2008," the 49-year-old Keen said. "He decided to teach me after I'd asked him how it was done. We had one session and did 25 shirts. ... Once Jeff showed me how, I set up a studio in an outbuilding but then moved it into my spare bedroom."

Keen, who two years ago was severely injured in a motorcycle accident and lost his right foot, said he wanted to get into tie-dye because he was dismayed at the lack of value in its modern-day techniques and execution.

"There wasn't much quality in the tie-dye I was seeing," he said. "I pursued learning how to do it to put out high-quality tie-dye out there. ... I hate to see mass-produced, cookie-cutter tie-dye, and I don't think anybody wants a shirt that came out of a sweatshop."

Keen's creations have found favor with many folks, and he recently donated one of his tie-dyed T-shirts and a tie-dyed "ones

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