Meet Michael Kirkbride
Here at Art on a Postcard we are very happy have Michael Kirkbride on board as a contributing artist for our Art on a Ukulele project.
| Born in 1959 in County Durham Michael gained a Degree in Fine art from Sunderland Polytechnic. Throughout the 1980’s he lived and worked in Newcastle upon Tyne and was a member of The Waterloo Street Artists Studio Group. In 1992 He attended The Royal Academy Schools postgraduate painting course where he received a travel award to visit Mexico to study the Murals of Diego Rivera. In 2014 he was elected curator of the New English Art Club, a collective of artists and curators who teach various forms of art, with whom he exhibits on a regular basis. He also currently teaches at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. |
http://www.newenglishartclub.co.uk/ |
|
http://www.newenglishartclub.co.uk/ |
Michael delves into an extremely inwards process when he creates his work. Often with surreal and absurdist twists, his works often reveal an excited subconscious, one that is engaged with the movement of the world. It has been said that ‘Above all, his works are supposition; they seek to make visible narratives that exist in the minds’ eye.’ Through observation, recollection and his imagination Michael begins with a drawing. He draws ‘impulsively on whatever comes to hand’, later piecing together these fragments into notebooks. The notebooks become like a documentation of a paintings evolution. |
|
Michael’s paintings are phenomenal in their composition and structure. Often of crowded scenes and clambering figures creating bundles of shapes, disjointed and chaotic imagery. This chaos is balanced by use of subdued colours which he creates often in egg tempera. He collides this ancient medium with modern life scenes, so that his works are brimming with humour and pathos. Each painting tells a story for instance of guests at a dinner party, life drawing classes or car park traffic jams. Through taking these relatable scenes and projecting them with honest craftsmanship, there is a personal element to his work wherein we feel we get to know him and ourselves a little bit better. |
|
We’re extremely excited to see in what innovative manner Riches approaches our Art on a Ukulele project so please join us to find out more go to our Phundee page and sign up to our mailing list (at the bottom of the page) to receive updates about this project and to find out about our crowdfunding campaign, the rewards we are offering and be part of the process over the next few months.
About the writer
 |
Rosa Torr is a final year BA Politics and Philosophy student from London currently at University College Dublin. Her place of interest is political theory and in particular Gender Studies. Rosa has written for numerous online publications and the University Observer. She is also a theatre maker and is currently co-artistic director of BUMP&GRIND Theatre Company. The show she co-wrote BUMP will be on at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer. |
