Barb Kettner
Barb was born and raised in Milwaukee. She earned a B.S. in exceptional education at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction at Cardinal Stritch College. She spent much of her time in school drawing sketches of her classmates while listening to lectures.
In 1981, she began teaching emotionally disturbed children in
second, third and fourth grades, and daily incorporated some form of art into
her teaching. This pattern continued throughout the next twenty-five years of
teaching in the Milwaukee Public Schools.
Barb is married to Rick Kettner, formerly of Gays Mills. They
decided to return to the Driftless area to retire in 2006. They run a rental cabin
business, Kettner’s Riverfront Cabins in rural Viola. Barb makes sure to paint or
draw for a few hours every day. She finds the Driftless Area endlessly
inspiring with its rolling hills, meandering rivers, fast disappearing tobacco
sheds, and ever changing skies.
In 2002 Barb was preparing for her own serious pursuit of
art, taking classes part-time at the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
and at the Milwaukee Art Museum. She continued drawing, using pencil, colored
pencils, pastels and oil pastels. She has since moved on to painting in
watercolor and oils. Ken DeWaard and Kathie Wheeler were invaluable in moving
Barb forward in her oil painting. Anne
Tedeschi and Jeanne Ruchti inspired her to become a better watercolor painter
with their mentoring and instruction.
Barb paints portraits of animals and people, landscapes en
plein aire, still lifes, and also paints from photographs. She has exhibited at
the Driftless Area Art Festival for the past six years, and was chosen as the
feature artist for the 2011 fund raising raffle.
