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
"Taylor Pensive" 22x28" Acrylic on Canvas $NFS*
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This painting I completed in late 2004 from a photograph I took of Taylor at the
wedding of my wife and I. She looked to be thinking and I was taken by the
faraway look she expressed here.
Unlike much of my portrait work this is a departure from the more realistic
pieces. Here I wanted to explore the effect of dabs of paint bringing together
a whole image. It is a little along the lines of pointillism, though my dots are a
lot larger.
As acrylic paint dries very fast, it is not suited to long working on the canvas,
and I personally find that acrylic retarders, though prolonging the time the
paint takes to dry, actually change the property of the paint into a stickier
medium that can be difficult to work at all. For me this is more of a hindrance
than the quick drying problem.
So I used the dots technique for practical as well as aesthetic reasons. I think
the effect is interesting, and I hope you do too.
wedding of my wife and I. She looked to be thinking and I was taken by the
faraway look she expressed here.
Unlike much of my portrait work this is a departure from the more realistic
pieces. Here I wanted to explore the effect of dabs of paint bringing together
a whole image. It is a little along the lines of pointillism, though my dots are a
lot larger.
As acrylic paint dries very fast, it is not suited to long working on the canvas,
and I personally find that acrylic retarders, though prolonging the time the
paint takes to dry, actually change the property of the paint into a stickier
medium that can be difficult to work at all. For me this is more of a hindrance
than the quick drying problem.
So I used the dots technique for practical as well as aesthetic reasons. I think
the effect is interesting, and I hope you do too.
* 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