Jill Kettles

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Artist Bio

I have been creating art whether it's paintings, prints, photographs, drawings since I was really young. I can remember making my own greeting cards when I was at least 5. I always thought I could make a better card than the ones in the stores. I would use anything that made a mark on paper, crayons, markers, watercolors, pencil or pen. Printing became a passion from positive-negative photo prints in high school to stone lithography in college. But painting has always been there for me, using the canvas as a giving and forgiving surface.

I have painted still lifes and landscapes for a long time, I think I like to challenge myself, to get the glass clear and reflective or the water chops along the banks of a river or a canal. But always allowing flaws, for I am not a perfectionist by any means. I like the fact that I might have overlapped my brush marks with my palette knife stroke or some how my paints creates texture.

I think my use of color and ability of good composition are my best skills. I have always known where to “put things” and how the colors can be or should be or maybe need to be.

Unfortunately I went through an artist block for about six years I am not too sure where it came from or why it happened. But my approach to painting has changed. I have noticed that instead of having a stopping point I always try to expand my work and see how far I can go. I am not be afraid to make a huge mistake, knowing I can go back and re paint it. But I found other ways to create during that time, more on the arts and crafts side so perhaps working in a smaller or a less forgiving medium it gave me the ease to go back to a large canvas and splash on the paint!

I studied at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA graduating in 1992 with a BFA in Painting and Printmaking. I have been in several shows over the years in Richmond and Atlanta, GA where I reside. I have been a published writer, a poet, a photographer and now I have picked up jewelry making.

I hope that some of my pieces intrigue you!

Thanks

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