Peter Kettle
Peter Kettle creates oil and mixed media paintings by immersing himself in landscape, and considers himself a documentarian and expressive landscape artist. Each year, Kettle takes on planned journeys around his native Wales and remote regions of the world; and incorporates journalistic narratives and social geography into his projects. His previous expeditions have led him on a personal journey across the desert plains of Patagonia (2017) and to the Andean Foothills to retrace the steps of the Welsh Settlers. Peter's following project embarked on a physically challenging, and environmental project hiking to Everest Basecamp (2019). In sub-zero temperatures, he collected rubbish along a 10-day hike to reuse in collage and mixed media works made enpleinair at Everest. In 2023, he travelled across Japan, from the far northern island of Hokkaido, scaling Japan's revered mountains, to exploring the temples and sacred sites on the mainland of Honshu. Where the story captivates him, he will record elements and nuances of the space to rework into ambitiously scaled and expressive paintings; using paint and other media poured, rubbed and splashed onto the canvas.
“I look for pilgrimages across the world surrounding revered mountains, and celebrate the local stories of the landscape through paintings, collage and documentary film. These expeditions involve sketching and recording the journey towards each summit; working alongside charities and local organisations supporting the area. With each project, I use the invaluable knowledge of local guides to learn how the people of each area connect to the land. These projects and paintings are my personal reflections of each experience.”
Having worked exclusively in oils, his technique has broadened to incorporate the use of Gesso, collage, inks and shellac. His paintings give the impression of well-worn exterior walls, buffeted and corroded over time. The effect is a characterful, well weathered surface, stony and granular that is at the same time luminous with dramatic light. His paintings go through a number of stages, deconstructed and layered, to form a complex expression of his subject matter.
Peter started his career in Wales and now lives and works in Bristol, maintaining his travels to his native Wales and across Britain; which remains a continual spur for his work.
He was voted in as an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) and the Royal Cambrian Academy (RCA) and featured on the BBC News and published in The Guardian as 'One to Watch'. His work his held in private collections internationally.