Chris Kettle is a Sussex-based artist known for his captivating contemporary still life paintings. His expansive studies of flowers, plants, vases, and other still life subjects are at once highly photorealistic and deeply expressionistic, creating a compelling tension. Like Victorian botanical illustrations — but painted by Klimt or Monet. Kettle's canvases, to me, are sometimes brooding and despite the explosions of stunning flora, describe an atmosphere of decay and neglect.

Working from his home studio, Chris explores his themes relentlessly. His work invites viewers into a world where flora is imbued with ambiguity and a subtle sense of the uncanny.

I recently made a short film capturing Chris at work; a small glimpse into his meticulous process. He likes whisky and succumbed to my small bribe in return for a short dance move at the end of his film.