Richard A. Kirk | Visual Artist | Author
"there is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion" Sir Frances Bacon, Of Beauty, Essays" 1625
The Mad Butterfly's Ball is a new insect themed anthology of weird fiction and essays. About a year ago, I was commissioned to create a cover and some interior illustrations for a new anthology from PS Publishing called The Mad Butterfly's Ball, edited by Preston Grassmann and Chris Kelso. I also contributed a short story... Continue Reading →
No matter how surreal or fantastic my pieces finish up, they nearly always start with natural forms. No matter how surreal or fantastic my pieces finish up, they nearly always start with natural forms. The shapes of insects, plants, bones, fossils etc. are all building blocks I use to create composition and meaning in my... Continue Reading →
I found a forgotten stash of watercolour paper in my studio, which inspired me to do a few smaller works over the last couple of weeks. These ink drawings are tinted with Liquitex coloured inks in the manner of watercolours. I'm adding these to my shop as I finish them, so check in from time... Continue Reading →
The Stranger Greets the Dawn, 2023, ink on artboard, 10" x 11.5" I finished this drawing on September 10. It started life as an endpaper illustration for a forthcoming book project. In the end we chose another image, so I expanded the this original drawing and rounded out the composition. It is very much in-line... Continue Reading →
The Other Earth, 2023, ink on paper, 14” x 18” Earlier this year I was honored to get this special commission from a long time collector and friend, which I can now show you in its entirety. The theme of the piece is that of father and son—exploring your imagination and sharing the journey with... Continue Reading →
For highly rendered ink drawings I like to start with a detailed graphite line drawing. This piece started life as a proposed book illustration. If you look carefully, you can see the vertical line that marks the edge of the original drawing. When the editor selected another piece in its place, I finished the drawing... Continue Reading →
Under drawing for We Shall be Near You Today I am sharing the graphite under-drawing for a new piece called We Shall be Near You. I borrowed the title from a poem by Yeats. In the context of this piece, the words refer to the idea of friendship and loyalty, the nearness of others. I’m... Continue Reading →
Fresh Poison, 2021, Staedtler Pigment Liner on Fabriano Bristol Vellum, 12 x 9 inches Here's a drawing I finished toward the end of 2021. The title was taken from a song by Hozier. You might have heard it. The phrase struck me as quite apt in this age of misinformation, menace and, frankly, misery. Anyhow,... Continue Reading →
Among other things, I've been working away at a new fantasy novel. Looking back, it appears I started it in 2018. Lately I've taken it up in a more focused way. The first draft is now sitting at about 30 thousand words, which means I have quite a bit more bridge to build. With this... Continue Reading →
This a newly completed piece. I hope you enjoy it! The work is available for sale. Please message me for details if interested. Richard
Richard A. Kirk | Visual Artist | Author 