Artist Statement: Enigma may well be Peter Kettle’s closest ally. And, like the most compelling and genuine enigmas, the riddles and puzzles his work sets the viewer occupy some thrilling crossovers between fascination and fear, humour and thrill, clarity and challenge. Kettle paints with an assured but contemplative authority. He chooses each component in his paintings with care, weaving a solid open-ended narrative. We catch most in media res – we experience the story at mid point rather than just listen to it. The event is hinted at but not defined. This leaves the viewer to wonder what caused this, and what happened next.  This artist relishes the brooding drama of a poem, the words declaimed upon a stage, or a title on an ancient book. Kettle sets before us a frozen moment in time. It comes as no surprise to find him using a humble shelf as a metaphor for a stage, upon which all is possible.

Peter Kettle is a freelance painter, writer and poet. His paintings have been featured in London’s Royal Academy eight times. He won a Silver Award at the Paris Salon, and another Silver in a show in Tokyo.