About
Kirk graduated from Winthrop University in 2008 with a BA in Art - emphasis in painting and drawing. After graduation, Kirk had jobs in several different fields, all unrelated to art. During those years, Kirk would draw and paint from time-to-time but never really to the level where he felt satisfied. Unhappy and wanting more fulfillment, motivation came from the only place it could, his wife Andi. With encouragement from Andi, Kirk began drawing and painting again. Andi volunteered Kirk to create art for family and friends. Once others saw his work, commissions started coming in and Kirk realized he needed a career involved with Art. In 2021, Kirk became a full-time high school Art teacher and continues to make art for himself and others. Kirk has art hanging across the country from Los Angeles to Florida, to Texas and South Carolina. He currently lives in Knoxville, TN with his wife Andi.
Artist Statement
My work comes from an intense sensation of the need to create. Rooted in abstraction, my work is derived from authentic expression with attention towards the formal elements and principles of art. Line, value, contrast, balance, etc., inform the physical characteristics of my work while internal motivations inform the way in which I apply marks. The visual outcome of my work represents a combination of intention, accident, experimentation, and emotion.
Having been a Philosophy Minor in college, I'm fascinated by certain philosophical themes which permeate my work. Permanence, impermanence, order, chaos, Being, the self, despair, hope, isolation, loneliness, joy, and love are all connected to my work in some way or another and to varying degrees. Creating art is essential to my understanding of and connection to the human experience. I hope my work elicits a unique and interesting response within you, the viewer, that invites you to look a few seconds longer.