MICHAEL KIRKMAN
TIME WAS
AWAY
MICHAEL KIRKMAN
Oil Paintings, Pencil Drawings, Linocuts & Monoprints Michael Kirkman is young British printmaker and painter and his work is a great, new find for the Castle Gallery. A graduate of Edinburgh College of Art, he completed his MA at the Royal College of Art in London in 2010 and he has already begun to establish himself as an artist and illustrator, his distinctive style resulting in commissions from Faber & Faber, the National Theatre and the Palace of Westminster. His work is in the collections of York City Art Gallery. His figurative work captures moments in time which are simultaneously both everyday and extraordinary, creating an ambivalence and edgy presence for his characters. His choppy drawing technique adds to the aura of uncertainty and the feeling that we are waiting for the story to unfold. He uses random objects plucked from daily observation (such as plants and pieces of furniture), or motifs from paintings by famous artists, to fill in the gaps in his compositions and in the storytelling. Michael explains: “The work at the Castle Gallery is an ongoing exploration into how the figure in art can suggest and communicate thoughts we all have. They can appear dreamlike at times, but I strive for the old meaning of surreal rather that the confusing and often over stylised interpretation that became fashionable in the post war years. I always work from memory, so often the images come from a real moment. I try to illustrate and make that feeling or sense of time and place available to look at in my pictures. I am very interested in the new Glasgow boys and in particular, the work of Steven Campbell, and also the general tradition of figurative work in Scotland with greats including Robin Philipson, the two Roberts, John Bellany and Joan Eardley.” The entire exhibition can be viewed on the Castle Gallery’s website: W: www.castlegallery.co.uk T: 01463 729512 E: info@castlegallery.co.uk
Cover: Italian Prop, oil on board, 50(h) X 60(w) cm
Cornered Owl, linocut, 30(h) X 20(w) cm
Rest from the Sea, pencil, 57(h) X 69(w) cm
Propeller Boy, pencil and oil pastel, 40(h) X 30(w) cm
Loud Fire, linocut, 48(h) X 40(w) cm
New Ground, linocut, 48(h) X 40(w) cm
Pablo’s Cat, oil on board, 48(h) X 64(w) cm
Lost Sculptor, pencil, 51(h) X 67(w) cm
Stolen Music, oil on board, 100(h) X 125(w) cm
Early Start, linocut, 60(h) X 70(w) cm
Weekday, linocut, 41(h) X 50(w) cm
Icarus’s Wing, oil on board, 48(h) X 60(w) cm
Boy on the Beach, pencil, 55(h) X 65(w) cm
Industry, oil on board, 48(h) X 60(w) cm
A Night Away, pencil, 55(h) X 76(w) cm
On the Wrong Way, oil on board, 48(h) X 55(w) cm
Small Sucess, linocut, 48(h) X 40(w) cm
New Still Life, pencil,
Morning and Night, pencil,
30(h) X 40(w) cm
30(h) X 40(w) cm
Joiners Daughter, pencil, 30(h) X 40(w) cm
Conversation, monoprint, 38(h) X 56(w) cm Back Page: Fruit and Flame, linocut, 23.5(h) X 32(w) cm
TIME WAS AWAY - MICHAEL KIRKMAN Oil Paintings, Pencil Drawings, Linocuts and Monoprints
Castle Gallery, 43 Castle St, Inverness, IV2 3DU www.castlegallery.co.uk 01463 729512