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Kessling Vs Kessling 2009

15 Dec 2009

Modern Artists Gallery, Berkshire
28 November 2009 - 28 January 2010

Make the most of the extended festive holiday and visit an Own Art gallery you’ve never been to before. The Modern Artists Gallery is a good place to start and has all the ingredients for a perfect winter’s afternoon. With a stunning new exhibition plus excellent restaurants and good walks nearby, what are you waiting for?

Kate Kessling, Ted, Aluminium, Edition of 10

15 December 2009 - Go back to Own Art December Bulletin

The current show features artists, Paul and Kate Kessling. They both work at the Oxfordshire home they share with their three daughters, two dogs, eight hamsters, ten silkies, three ducks and a cat and five hives of bees! Amazingly, for the most part, living and working together creates a space in which they can both succeed as artists.

On the couple at home, Katie Newman, Director of the Gallery and curator of the show, says:

'If its Kate you want, head for the loud music. If you pause for a few moments, you’ll realise that it’s the same track on repeat, again and again. This year, the chances are it will be The Dandy Warhols’ Bohemian Like You. It’s already clocked up 900 plays on her iPod since January.

Paul will most likely be keeping company with John le Carre's audio book back catalogue, probably in front of his new Italian studio easel, working in oils.

On the other hand, you might not be able find Paul at all. He might have hopped into his Land Rover and headed off to the Ridgeway where he goes when everything else gets too much. Saying that, its also a place which has been the source of great inspiration and where he has committed to paper so many of his distinctive landscapes'.

Paul Kessling, Folly Field, ink on paper, 17.5 x 63cm

Whilst working in the same space has its practical difficulties, it also has huge compensations and being able to talk is undoubtedly one of them. The couple think nothing of debating an exact shade of black for hours, and they are blessed in that their styles and influences differ so greatly that they can talk about each other’s work without fear that their ideas may overlap.

Paul's style has been developing for almost twenty years whilst Kate radically reinvents her approach to her art every two to three years. Paul is, by nature, intellectual and meticulous whilst Kate’s approach is more serendipitous.

There are other differences too. Paul can produce large splashy abstracts using colossal brushes and a vast amount of colours but leave no mess. When Kate uses paint, it goes everywhere, including the floor, the children and the pets!

The exhibition, Kessling VS Kessling 2009, continues until 28 January 2010 and the gallery is open Wednesday - Saturday, 10 am - 6pm, and by appointment at other times.

Modern Artists Gallery
High Street, Whitchurch on Thames
Nr. Pangbourne, Berkshire RG8 7EX

T: 0118 984 5893

15 December 2009 - Go back to Own Art December Bulletin

Image featured on December 2009 bulletin:
Snowflakes (detail), Aluminium, 120 x 180cm, Edition of 10