While inspired by the Old Masters, Chris Kettle's art is far from traditional. Fascinated by still life, Chris is interested in giving inanimate objects a kind of emotional charge, a soul of their own. His art is an exploration in which he puts obscure objects into odd arrangements, creating what he considers to be ‘New Still Life’. Here, we spend a day in the life of Chris Kettle, from puppy wake-ups to drinks with friends.
Our Staffy/Greyhound wakes me up nice and early so it’s up and straight out into the garden before a cup of tea.
I gradually found that teachers started showing a bit more interest in me during art classes, possibly as I started to get a little bit better at drawing and also ceramics/sculpture. At the time, this phenomenon didn’t seem to happen in my physics classes!
A normal day will find me studio based, interspersed with school runs and dog walks. The latter are really useful for clearing the mind, and if I can get out on my MTB then that really blows the cobwebs away. I think we all need some form of ‘meditation’ before work, I’ve always found exercise works pretty well.
I reckon it was being accepted to do a Fine Art degree years back. I wasn’t naturally academic at school so this was a great moment when I think back to it. The changes that you go through during that time are huge and immeasurable.
Well, it’s probably similar to being an actor when you don’t always know when the next pay cheque is coming in, or sometimes the next exhibition. Inspiration isn’t a given, and has to be constantly attended to.
No boss… apart from yourself at least… and that can depend on what kind of boss you are!
Family life seems to be hectic even with only one child and a dog, but there is always a myriad of things to do after studio time. A really good day might end with a beer and a chat with friends.
If you want to find out more about Chris and his work, make sure to take a look at his artist collection page here.
