FRIVOLITIE My Craft and Artwork Site. Gabriella Kettle MA. DipAD. PGCE

Hello,  

I enjoy using different media and experimenting with different styles. This web site is intended as a reference for myself and for anyone that owns one of my paintings. It's a sort of  art catalogue and reminder. I also enjoy making jewellery. tatting  and other crafts which I have called frivolitie    

I am a UK artist, trained at Birmingham Institute of Art and Design, graduating with an MA in textile design in 1974.  Afterwards I was a freelance textile designer with my own shop for many years and then an Art Teacher at King Edwards V1 Grammar School for 10 years.  I was also Head of Textilesat Midlands Art Centre and a visiting lecturer to the University of Central England after leaving college. Great, but hard to fit my own work in.

Fortunately I have retired and are able to travel, be with family and pursue hobbies. Sometimes we travel around in our VW camper, visiting galleries and I paint. I was able to take part in painting competitions for a while in France and here are some older excerpts from my blog....

2011 St Jean D'Angely Painting Competition. I won 3rd Prize. You can see painting and news paper article here. I am called Madame Gay!

2009 Painting in the Streets Competition St Jean D'Angely... I won 2 prizes!!!!

Back in the UK now after a summer in France. I joined in with other artists painting in the local villages on a couple of days. Amazingly I both won prizes and enjoyed the experience. I used to be an Art Teacher and it was great to have people watching me paint that were not up to mischief behind my back. So here are some photos of me painting in Chagnon where I won the villagers prize in a secret ballot and then the next weekend I won the 4th prize in the St Jean D'Angely 2 day competition...

Here I am with the first 3 St Jean d'Angely winners and holding my award. My painting is on the easel. It has sunlight streaming through clouds onto vineyards which was just how the weather was in France this year. Its a pastel on canvas which is my rather unusual technique but it works. The painting is finished now and much less greeny overall.

2011 My Blog.. find out about the second St Jean D'Angely competition