Above: Peter Kettle · Shinjuku - Tokyo · collage and oil · 12 x 8 in.
Front cover: Peter Kettle · Mt. Fuji from Oishi Park Kawaguchiko – Japan · oil · 47 x 47 in.
Peter Kettle | Karl Martens
11th – 25th May 2024
OPENING DRINKS | Saturday 11th May | 12 – 2pm
Monday – Sunday, 10am – 5pm
All work can be viewed on our website under Exhibitions/Forthcoming.
All work is for immediate sale.
High Street | Stockbridge | Hampshire | SO20 6HE
01264 810364
enquiries@wykehamgallery.co.uk
www.wykehamgallery.co.uk
In May 2023 Peter Kettle travelled to Japan and “The Japan Project - Paintings and Film” was born. The project celebrates and looks at how the Japanese honour their land through ancient pilgrimages and the arts. Over the course of 3 weeks with his roll of canvas, easel and companions, Peter travelled to the northern island of Hokkaido and mainland Honshu to explore Japan’s tribal roots, its myriad of heritage sites and to climb Japan’s revered volcanoes and landscapes nicknamed ‘the playground of the Gods’.
Funding for the project was granted in 2020 and then the world stood still because of Covid. When the world and Japan fully reopened in 2023 Peter’s sponsorship was partly withdrawn – the economics of sponsorship had changed. Peter and I had long discussed this project with great enthusiasm and when he told me that it was unlikely to proceed, due
to the withdrawal of funding, the Wykeham Gallery stepped in. Together with the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation we underwrote the shortfall. Peter says “I am very grateful to the Wykeham Gallery for their invaluable support. I am thrilled to be able to exhibit and showcase this project – what a remarkable expedition and experience to paint in Japan”.
Peter has always been fascinated by the country’s culture and, more importantly, the origin of the country’s deep respect for the land. He strives to consider how we in Europe can learn to honour and give greater respect to the land in our own part of the world.
Peter started his career in Wales and now lives and works in Bristol, maintaining his travels to his native Wales which remains a continual spur for his work.
Gerald
Dodson, The Wykeham Gallery, April 2024Peter writes:
“I have always been fascinated by Japan. I wanted to travel north and see the extreme changes of the landscape. From the neon metropolis of Tokyo to the rural rice paddies and the northern valleys of active snow-capped volcanoes. I wanted to be whisked away into the Ainu world of the Kamui in Hokkaido, and heave my weary bones to the top of a mountain and sketch the sunrise. The magic of Japan is then to be brought back down to Earth by the umami flavours at a ryokan and to simmer down in a quiet onsen. It is these extremes that I love about these projects.
The media used in my “collage and oil work” are collections from all of the places that I visited. They are sourced from magazines, tickets, receipts, wrappers, posters and local art. These are candid snapshots of the journey; a document of the expedition that places the viewer tangibly close to the scene. With this series I have also included QR codes with audio file recordings for each location – they will be placed adjacent to the paintings. When the observer looks, he can also listen to the sounds of the streets of Kyoto, Japan, and the birds singing in forests of the Kiso Valley. The larger oil
paintings are more contemplative studies, expressive and hopefully resonate a lasting impression through the layers of oil. What I love about oil is that when it dries, you will always see the first layer emerging. It may be so deeply buried that it is unrecognisable, however, it will find its way through the translucent layers. That is when a painting starts to glow.
Most importantly with this project, I wanted to look at how Japan relates to the land and how it creates art. Art that celebrates everything from the thousands of year old Ainu wooden sculptures through to Kyoto indigo dye workshops and then onto the multi-sensory digital art in Tokyo. It is through these pilgrimages and traditions that we connect not only to the land but also to its history and to our ancestors; there is a real beauty in that. Interestingly less than 25% of the Japanese hold a passport to travel abroad. A lot of the Japanese consider that what is upon their doorstep is sufficient. Read into that what you will, however, when you have tropical islands in the south and snowcapped Alpine mountains in the north then, from a landscape artist’s perspective, I can completely understand. And here is the result!”
oil ·
Peter Kettle Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon Temple) Tokyo
31 x 24 in.
Peter Kettle Torii Gate at the Summit of Mt. Fuji · oil · 47 x 39 in.
Peter Kettle Hokkaido, Niseko · oil · 47 x 39 in.
Peter Kettle Mt. Yotei, Hokkaido oil · 39 x 39 in.
Peter Kettle Komorebi on the Nakasendo Samurai Trail – Japan oil · 43 x 35 in.
Peter Kettle Mt.Yari, Japan Alps · oil · 17 x 24 in.
Peter Kettle Hokan-ji Temple (Yasaka Pagoda) – Kyoto · collage and oil · 12 x 8 in.
Peter Kettle Tsukiji Fish Market – Tokyo · collage and oil · 12 x 8 in.
Peter Kettle Kennin-ji Temple, Kyoto oil · 24 x 24 in.
Peter Kettle Matsumoto Castle, Japan Alps · oil · 31 x 31 in.
Peter Kettle Japan Alps, Kamikoche Valley, Evening · oil · 20 x 24 in.
Peter Kettle Shibuya, Karoke, Tokyo collage and oil 8 x 12 in.
Peter Kettle Hokkaido Farmland – Japan collage and oil · 8 x 12 in.
Peter Kettle Walking Through Matsumoto – Japan · collage and oil · 12 x 8 in.
Peter Kettle Old Kyoto Neighbourhood, Yasaka Pogoda · collage and oil · 12 x 8 in.
Peter Kettle Mt.Yari, Sunrise at Karasawa Hut - Japan Alps oil · 47 x 39 in.
Peter Kettle Hokkaido, Shakotan Peninsula at Cape Kamui · oil · 8 x 12 in.
Karl Martens was born in San Francisco in 1956 but grew up near Drottningholm, on the outskirts of Stockholm. Karl then lived in both Switzerland and Canada before returning to his place of birth, San Francisco. Finally, after an absence of 24 years, he returned to Sweden at the age of 40 and continues to reside there.
The study of nature, with a particular passion for birds, has been Karl’s main interest since childhood. Having initially painted very exact, detailed pictures, he has more recently developed a freer and more fluid style.
Karl is influenced by both Western and Eastern philosophies and he is very interested in the forms of meditation found in Zen Buddhism. This discipline is clearly reflected in the
approach to his painting - “The best result is achieved when no thought is given to it; when the mind rests in emptiness and intuition takes over”. Karl is also a very keen and successful practitioner of Japanese archery and he travels the world in his pursuit of excellence.
In his painting, Karl strives to capture the emotional essence of the subject rather than seeking a perfect depiction. In so doing he challenges his own perceptions and allows the image to develop. He paints from memory using watercolour and charcoal on hand-made paper.
Karl’s work is held in collections around the world.
Gerald Dodson, The Wykeham Gallery, April 2024
The quest continues
“The more I try to paint or to act from my intuition, rather than my intellect, the more I understand how difficult the road to self awareness is. But those occasions, when I am able to create a painting completely without thought, I get a glimpse of the power of intuition, or emptiness.
I’m also more and more comfortable with the understanding that my road ahead is as affected by my background as by whatever I will encounter ahead. And each unplanned event is a possibility and a step toward deeper knowledge – if I choose to see it that way.
But the temptation of detail still pursues me. It is a constant fight, not fall back to its limitations. The paradox is that the more skilled I become with the paintbrush, the harder it is to avoid the details, albeit painted swiftly and without thought. But if the surprises cease, there is a risk that painting as a means of training for life becomes ineffective, and thus my interest will also cease.
So my quest for the unexpected continues.”
Karl Martens
Karl Martens Crane · watercolour · 60 x 42 in.
Karl Martens Grey Heron · watercolour · 61 x 41 in.
Karl Martens
Hen Harrier I · watercolour · 37 x 60 in.
Dove I
watercolour
Karl Martens
22 x 30 in.
Karl Martens Osprey
watercolour
39 x 54 in.
·
·
·
·
Karl Martens
White Tailed Sea Eagle · watercolour · 61 x 41 in.
Karl Martens
Gadwall · watercolour · 61 x 41 in.
41 in.
41 in.
Karl Martens Swifts · watercolour · 61 x Karl Martens Hen Harrier III · watercolour · 60 x
Karl Martens Red Kite I watercolour · 61 x 36 in.
Karl Martens Golden Eagle watercolour · 54 x 30 in.
Karl Martens
Karl Martens Peregrine Falcon watercolour · 61 x 41 in.
