EXHIBITIONS

Chris Kettle is a British contemporary painter known for his distinctive approach to still life, where traditional subject matter is reworked into atmospheric, contemporary compositions. Born in 1971, he studied Fine Art at Cardiff Institute before developing a long-term practice focused almost entirely on oil painting. He lives and works in East Sussex.

Kettle’s work sits within the still life tradition but pushes it into a more modern and open space. Rather than treating objects as static or decorative, he uses them as a way of exploring mood, tension and presence. His paintings often carry a sense of drama and quiet unease, where everyday forms are something more ambiguous and emotionally charged. Light plays a central role in this, not just as a tool for observation but as a structural and expressive element that shapes the entire surface of the painting.

His approach draws on the legacy of Dutch still life painters such as Jan Davidsz de Heem and Jan van Huysum, but these references are filtered through a contemporary sensibility. He is less interested in replication than in reinterpretation, taking cues from historical composition and intensity while allowing the work to remain loose, instinctive and materially alive. The result is a body of work that feels rooted in tradition but firmly positioned in the present.

Kettle’s paintings are often built through slow, layered processes, with oil paint applied in a way that emphasises both precision and physicality. Surfaces can shift between sharp detail and softer, more painterly marks. This balance between clarity and disruption is central to his practice. It gives the work its sense of movement, even when the subject matter is still.

A group of objects might feel ceremonial in one work and unsettled in another. This openness is deliberate, allowing the viewer to bring their own interpretation to what they see.

His paintings have been described as both classical and contemporary at once, combining technical skill with a modern psychological edge. There is often a sense that something has just happened, or is about to, even though nothing is explicitly stated.

Over the course of his career, Kettle has exhibited widely in the UK and internationally, with solo and group exhibitions across Europe, the United States and beyond. His work has been recognised through awards including a top placing in the National Open Art Competition, judged by Gavin Turk. Alongside exhibitions, his paintings are held in private and public collections.

Now based on the edge of Brighton, Kettle continues to develop his practice with a focus on oil painting and the possibilities of the still life genre. His work remains grounded in observation and technique, but always with an emphasis on feeling rather than description. More than anything, his paintings explore how something as familiar as a group of objects can hold atmosphere, tension and emotional weight when seen through the slow, deliberate language of paint.

2024
The Fine Line – James Freeman Gallery, London

2022
Still Life Diversions – Art of Treason Gallery, Brighton

2017
Still Even – Opus Art, Newcastle

2013
Approaching Still Life (with Brian Henderson) – Leyden Gallery, London

2009
The Season of Still Life – Opus Art, Newcastle