About me

My creative work in acrylics is largely expressionistic.  I do portraits and works in styles other than expressionistic.  I have conjured a series inspired by Hopper and another by Van Gogh, two music series (one in acrylics and another in pen and ink), a series called Enamorado con Amor (In Love with Love), and various depictions from our travels all over Europe including our extensive stays in Rome, Paris, Valencia, Holland, and multiple cities in Poland. Some of these are in watercolor, others in pen and ink in addition to acrylics.   I trained with Bua, New Masters Academy, Darrel Tank, the Corcoran, the Spanish artist Teresa Ruiz de Lobera and others.

I paint in watercolor and draw in pen and ink, drawings which are often illustrative.   I use both hands simultaneously to create the pen and ink drawings.   I do music drawings in the audience, creating impressions of people, instruments and space. 

In 1997 we began living in Europe and other areas abroad, including a stint in Panama with the United States Peace Corps.  We have stayed for extended periods in Rome, Paris, Madrid and Valencia, Costa Rica and Panama (as Peace Corps volunteers) as well as two months in various cities of Poland.  We’ve taken long trips to Turkey, and traveled in most of eastern Europe including Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Slovakia.  For periods of about a month we’ve been in Graz, St Petersburg, Russia, Montpellier, Glasgow, Trieste, Modica (Sicily), and Zambia.  Morocco came in for a visit as well as Malta.    We have scoured the countryside of Italy, Belgium and France.  We lived on a boat for a year in Holland and two in France  and now traveling are on another during the summer.  We have done this travel on very modest budgets, and so we stayed in no star hotels, people’s houses and recently in short term apartments.

 

 

I started drawing and painting again starting in 2000 and off and on until 2012.  Then I started getting serious, taking classes and studying on my own.  My time at the Corcoran Art Institute in my early 20’s helped.  More recently I have studied with Justin Bua, Annette Raff, Steve Huston, Glenn Vilppu, and Darrel Tank,  and with Teresa de la Lobera, a Spanish artist from Valencia.

 

Influences

I have long appreciated the works of Goya, Velásquez and El Greco, beginning from the time I spent in Madrid in the late 1960’s. Later I was drawn to Picasso, Matisse, Dali, Gauguin, and Degas, whose dancers are among my favorite works.  Other artists I especially enjoy: Edward Hopper, Matisse, Jean and Raul Dufy and Gustave Caillebotte. Among modern Spanish artists I particularly like Jose Royo and the Valencian Joaquin Sorolla.

Themes       

Hopper:  

Edward Hopper (1882-1967) was an American artist from Nyack NY.  He is known for his realistic paintings such as “Nighthawks.”  I have taken several of his paintings and interpreted them in an expressionistic manner.  (Click on Art/Hopper Inspired).

 

Van Gogh 

Another series draws inspiration from Vincent Van Gogh, particularly his rural scenes, like in the Hopper paintings interpreted in an expressionistic manner.   Acrylics on Canson or Canson Arches cotton paper.

 

Amor: In Love With Love (Click on Art/Amor)

 

A series exploring love between couples.  It explores love and the diversity of its expressions.  

 

Music (Click on Art/Music)

 

Among my works is a series of music-related paintings and drawings.  I go to concerts at the Palau de la Musica and do small pen and ink drawings there, executed with both hands working simultaneously, one to draw and the other to do the washes.  From these I do paintings or take the drawings and enlarge them; these are in progress.

 

Nederlands, Estonia (Click on Art)

 

Drawings and paintings from summer 2015 and 2019 travels in Holland, and 2015 in Finland, Estonia and Turkey reflect the architecture and landscape.  I think you will find them interesting, especially the ones depicting Giethoorn, Holland, a fantasy land if there ever was one.  You get around by boat, walking or biking, as there are no cars in the village.  The houses are charming thatched roof cottages.  When travel makes it hard to find a place to work, I do small pieces, pen and ink or watercolor, occasionally acrylics.  There are two A3/16.5 x 11.5 pieces from Giethoorn.

 

Heart of Lightness (Click on Art)

 

Another series comes from our Zambian trip.   We stayed in a small village with a Peace Corps volunteer, when we came to know the villagers.  It was one of the most fascinating and heart warming experiences I have ever had.  Most of these are sold but some watercolors are still available.  Also see Poland for some interesting scenes. 

 

Anti-Trump

 

Finally there are the anti-Trump pieces.  These are mostly digital works with the notable exception of Trumpcissus, my Caravaggio inspired acrylic painting seen here Trumpcissus

 

You can reach me at info@garyjkirkpatrick.com, or 1-570-832-4480, a US phone number rings on my computer.  In Spain, +34 658 744 302.  Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/gary6301/.

 

Many of my works are listed on Saatchi Art.  Any others that you want and prefer to order via that site, please let me know and I will upload them there.   Others are available exclusively through Design Art Concepts https://www.artsy.net/design-art-concepts/artist/gary-j-kirkpatrick

I look forward to hearing from you – your comments are much appreciated.