Kettle's paintings inhabit a space between memory and imagination, inviting the viewer into a visual language of emotion, where feeling is conveyed through symbol and atmosphere rather than narrative or speech.
At the heart of Kettle's practice is the belief that symbolic imagery has the power to communicate emotion in ways that words cannot. Her early research into ancient languages, particularly Aramaic, an ancient Semitic language dating back three millenia, revealed a poetic depth to each word - where every syllable paints a picture. This understanding of language as fundamentally visual continues to inform her work today, where fruit, flowers, sun, and water recur not just as motifs but as expedients to express complex and positive emotional states. These images transcend linguistic boundaries, resonating with something innate and ancestral - a symbolic language that humans instinctively understand.
The artist's approach to mark-making is a delicate negotiation between intuition and structure. Gestures are laid down instinctively and then adjusted, refined, balanced - a rhythm of chaos and order that continues until a sense of resolution is felt. Sylvie Kettle's paintings offer more than just aesthetic experience - they are containers of emotional truth. They speak in symbols, allowing viewers to connect with something ancient, ineffable, and profoundly human. In doing so, they invite us to feel more deeply, to see more clearly, and to rediscover a sense of beauty that is both personal and universal.
