About
David Kirkman is an internationally selling Abstract artist. His mixed media paintings are immersive; balancing energy, spontaneity, and a lot of emotion. They are about life, humanity and freedom - of a state of mind; of excitement, and contemplation - full of contrasts. His work is born from the desire to create spaces of escape and understanding, particularly for those who, like him, experience the constant hum of a busy mind. Art offers a moment of pause amidst life's chaos , to embrace moments of joy and hope.
David’s passion for diving is an intriguing layer to his work, it expresses a lot of what he does within his paintings- creating a space of calm, a place to feel free, where nothing but your senses and breath matter…the quiet and the tapestry of the underwater, the unknown.
“To put yourself at the mercy of the ocean is to feel humbled and free. I draw inspiration from wanting to capture these feelings in paint. To create excitement through the brushstrokes, movement, contrast and colours and at the same time find peace within the moments they create. With each breath or mark you are embracing your own vulnerabilities and turning them into positive experiences. Whether under the water or on land, our world is colourful and chaotic but also mesmerising. I want my paintings to immerse and capture you in the space between uncertainty and acceptance.”
Biography:
David Kirkman was born in Leigh-on-Sea, England in 1985. He is an early career, self-taught, abstract artist. David has featured in galleries, Art Fairs and exhibitions across the UK these include; New Artist Fair London, Rochester Art Fair Kent, The Pie Factory Margate, The W Gallery Suffolk, Folkestone Art Gallery Kent, Hype Gallery Leigh-on-sea, DIG Gallery Margate, Liberation Art Gallery Brighton, Art Space Gallery Gibraltar and Bluewater Shopping Centre. His work has featured in Artist talk Magazine, Collect Art Magazine and Haus-a-Rest Magazine. His work can be found in private collections around the UK and Europe.
Galleries stocking my work:
The Circle Gallery, Ascot
Art Space Gallery, Gibraltar
EXHIBITIONS:
2025
Leigh Art Trail - 5th - 3th July
Residency solo show - Bannantynes hotel and spa, Hastings - 2nd June - 22nd September
'Mind Fizz' Solo show at Circle Gallery, Ascot - Saturday 26th April
Gallery 142 Solo Show - 'Herding Cats' Felixstowe - April 17th - 23rd
Jan - 30th March Under the Rainbow - Group Show, April-May 2025, Bluewater, Kent
Dec - Feb Southend-on Sea Solo show hosted by David Lloyd's Gym.
2024
Rochester Art Fair - Kent 4th - 6th Oct
Headcorn Art Fair - Kent - September 2024
Creek Creative Studios Group Show - March 2024
Under the Rainbow - Group Show, April-May 2024, Bluewater, Kent
Leigh Art Trail - July 2024, Leigh-on-sea, Essex
Rochester Art Fair - May 2024, Rochester, Kent
2023
Under The Rainbow- Nov/Dec 2023 Group Show, Bluewater, Kent
The Pie Factory – October 2023, Group exhibition with DIG Gallery. Margate Kent
Rochester Art Fair, Oct 2023 Corn Exchange Rochester, Kent
New Artist Fair - Sept/Oct 2023 Truman Brewery, London
The W Gallery - Group Show, Woodbridge, Suffolk
Leigh Art Trail, July 2023, Leigh-on-Sea
Leigh Community Centre, Mental Health Charity June/Aug 2023 Group Show, Leigh-on sea
The Stables Gallery- June 2023, Hall Place, Bexley, Group Show, London
Under the Rainbow- May/June 2023 Group Show, Bluewater, Bluewater, Kent
Holy Art Fair- March April 2023, Oxo Tower London
CREATE 98 - Feb/March 2023, Solo show Leigh-on-sea, Essex
Under The Rainbow - Feb/March 2023, Group Exhibition, Bluewater Kent
Twenty One - Feb 2023, Solo Exhibition at Twenty One, Southend (Focal Art Gallery)
SB Studios - Fed 2023, London – Group Show
Holy Art - Jan 2023, Holy Art Gallery, London – Group Show
2022
Under the Rainbow - Nov/Dec 2022 – Bluewater, Kent Group Show
PUBLICATIONS:
Artist talk Magazine, 2023 - Issue 25
Collect Art Magazine, 2023 - Volume 18 Love of my life
Collect Art Magazine, 2023 - 101 Contemporary Artists
Haus-a-Rest Magazine, 2023 - Issue 33 Life of Lines
