Joel Kirk was born in Dorking, Surrey
in 1948. He lived there for the duration of his father's service
in the Coldstream Guards. When his father left the regiment
the family moved to Leigh-on-Sea in Essex.
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Joel has a love of wildlife that
stems back from his school years, where his paintings dominated
competitions and gave him his main subject matter.
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In 1972
Joel was accepted into the Southend College of Art, After completing
a three-year course, Joel immediately turned professional and
embarked on a career doing what he loves best; observing the natural
world and capturing its beauty in oils, pastels and water-colours.
As a freelance artist Joel worked for a number of publishing houses.
During this time a wide range of Joel's work was published for
the small print market, these were to include a series of wildlife
studies, wildflowers, landscapes and Joel's Thames Barges. Four
limited editions were also published and several original works
have been sold in Harrods, one in particular, a study of an Arabian
stallion was sold within hours of being hung. |
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Joel
Kirk |
Lions |
Virginia
McKenna |
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Amy |
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Joel is kept busy with
commissions from wildlife organisations from all over the world.
Joel's long and illustrious career as an artist has taken him
all over the world to study wildlife in its natural habitat. This
research has given him a unique insight into the habits of his
subjects allowing him to paint with both accuracy and affection.
Although he has experimented successfully with a variety of media,
his first love is pastels as these give him the ability to work
fast and effectively on location. The consequent velvety texture
and subtlety of tones with shadows and highlights bring a unique
realism to his portrayals and have earned him a wide and enthusiastic
following. |
| Joel Kirk's supreme quality
and accuracy has built him a worldwide following and His pictures
have a ready market in North America, Australia, Japan, Europe and
the United Kingdom. Joel's
work portrays a broad spectrum of wildlife. As well as the glamorous
"Big Cats" and Elephants, Joel also likes to paint wildlife
closer to home. Birds, foxes, squirrels and deer all feature in
their natural surroundings or as studies.
Joel Kirk set himself a
task of painting as many breeds of dogs as are known in the
United Kingdom and all were put into print. Joel Kirk watercolours
contain very fine detail, which is unusual. Any original work
by Joel must appreciate in value.
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