About
Chris Kirby is drawn to Britain’s fishing and seafaring history. Old wooden working boats, including crab boats, oyster smacks, yawls and luggers, together with the fishermen who sailed them and the boat-building communities that crafted them, evoke in him a deep sense of attachment to Britain’s coastal life and traditions. They provide the inspiration for his work.
Admitted into Kingston School of Art in the 1960s, Chris paints with a modernist and minimalist sensibility. His approach is essentially that of a still-life artist, concerned with the placement and juxtaposition of shapes and forms - in his case, those of the old wooden working boats that plied their trade around Britain’s coastline for centuries.
With a deep appreciation of the craftsmanship of traditional family boat-builders, whose skills were passed down through generations, Chris nearly always depicts these vessels beached at low tide, allowing their curves, lines and working patina to be revealed, thereby presenting these classic and historical boats as sculptural forms in their own right. Which Chris believes they are!
Chris also paints classic leisure boats, occasionally on commission.
His paintings can be purchased directly from the artist, or at exhibitions, selected galleries - and permanently at his Studio/Gallery in Hindringham, Norfolk (NR21 0PT), which is open by appointment.
Admitted into Kingston School of Art in the 1960s, Chris paints with a modernist and minimalist sensibility. His approach is essentially that of a still-life artist, concerned with the placement and juxtaposition of shapes and forms - in his case, those of the old wooden working boats that plied their trade around Britain’s coastline for centuries.
With a deep appreciation of the craftsmanship of traditional family boat-builders, whose skills were passed down through generations, Chris nearly always depicts these vessels beached at low tide, allowing their curves, lines and working patina to be revealed, thereby presenting these classic and historical boats as sculptural forms in their own right. Which Chris believes they are!
Chris also paints classic leisure boats, occasionally on commission.
His paintings can be purchased directly from the artist, or at exhibitions, selected galleries - and permanently at his Studio/Gallery in Hindringham, Norfolk (NR21 0PT), which is open by appointment.