Who am l?
I am a professional artist,
originally from the United
Kingdom but now living and
working in the USA. I paint
primarily in oils though I also
work in acrylics, graphite and
pen and ink.
Mood and emotion feature
strongly in all my work, for in
this my voice and spirit speak
together. Art is beauty, love,
yearning, and hope, but it is
also about the darker
aspects of our shared
human experience. In my
work I endeavor to capture
both the light and the dark,
the rough and the smooth.
For in life nothing is black or
white, just shades of gray.
Thank you for taking time to
view my site. I wish you a
pleasurable and thought-
provoking stay.
originally from the United
Kingdom but now living and
working in the USA. I paint
primarily in oils though I also
work in acrylics, graphite and
pen and ink.
Mood and emotion feature
strongly in all my work, for in
this my voice and spirit speak
together. Art is beauty, love,
yearning, and hope, but it is
also about the darker
aspects of our shared
human experience. In my
work I endeavor to capture
both the light and the dark,
the rough and the smooth.
For in life nothing is black or
white, just shades of gray.
Thank you for taking time to
view my site. I wish you a
pleasurable and thought-
provoking stay.
A World of Fine Art by Mark Kettlewell
Please visit my home gallery
in Richmond, Virginia
in Richmond, Virginia
Just a Counter
"Alyssa" 14x18" Oil on Linen $NFS*
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Alyssa, the daughter of a family friend, met with our family in San Diego in
2005 where we all went to an amusement park. Alyssa, the subject of this
painting, 14 years at the time, is a daring girl who would go on any of the
rides. She had a self confidence and maturity beyond her years then and I
managed to get this picture of her candidly.
She was standing looking the other way as I framed the base photograph. I
called her name, she turned and I snapped the picture. I was delighted to find
that the photograph worked well and captured the essence of her indomitable
spirit. The pose is self-assured and almost regal.
They often say "a camera never lies", though from personal experience they
are mostly wrong. Cameras lie all the time. For one thing they see the world
in 2D and produce an imperfect rendering of a human being. They fatten
faces and lose colour and light.
This is why photography itself is an art, and those who do it well understand
the pitfalls of the medium and overcome them by relying on their own rather
than the camera's eye.
I, however, am not an accomplished photographer and so for me the base
photograph I caught of Alyssa was something of a triumph.
2005 where we all went to an amusement park. Alyssa, the subject of this
painting, 14 years at the time, is a daring girl who would go on any of the
rides. She had a self confidence and maturity beyond her years then and I
managed to get this picture of her candidly.
She was standing looking the other way as I framed the base photograph. I
called her name, she turned and I snapped the picture. I was delighted to find
that the photograph worked well and captured the essence of her indomitable
spirit. The pose is self-assured and almost regal.
They often say "a camera never lies", though from personal experience they
are mostly wrong. Cameras lie all the time. For one thing they see the world
in 2D and produce an imperfect rendering of a human being. They fatten
faces and lose colour and light.
This is why photography itself is an art, and those who do it well understand
the pitfalls of the medium and overcome them by relying on their own rather
than the camera's eye.
I, however, am not an accomplished photographer and so for me the base
photograph I caught of Alyssa was something of a triumph.
* Note that I have labelled this painting as "NFS (not for sale)". The reason
for this is that generally few folks will buy portraits of people they do not
know. However if you are interested in buying any of these completed
portraits or if you wish to commission a portrait yourself, please contact me
on this site
for this is that generally few folks will buy portraits of people they do not
know. However if you are interested in buying any of these completed
portraits or if you wish to commission a portrait yourself, please contact me
on this site