Ken Kirkby
Original Oil on Masonite Painting
Artist: Ken Kirkby
Medium: Original Oil on Masonite Painting, Unique Work
Signed: Lower right
This Artwork will be accompanied by a Gallery Certificate of Authenticity
Condition: Excellent
Framing: Newly Framed:
Framed Size: 21" X 18"
Artwork: 14" X 11"
Artwork will be shipped insured with UPS
Ken Kirkby
Ken Kirkby was born on September 1, 1940 in London, England but he was raised in Portugal. As a youth he was always interested in sketching and painting. His first exhibition in Lisbon at age 16 was a success and the show sold out shortly after the opening.
He moved to Canada with his family in 1958, and spent the next year trying to get to the pristine Arctic which he had learned so much about as a youth. He eventually spent 5 years living among the original Canadian people, the Inuit. The area so inspired him, that he began to do sketches depicting the life he had come to know. He converted many of his drawings of the North to oil paintings to show the world what he had found.
In 1981 Kirkby began his large canvas painting "Isumataq". Twelve feet high by 152 feet long, it became his full time project. The painting, consisting of 38 vertical panels, depicts the raw powerful landscape and the inukshuks and icebergs that define the North. The painting was completed in 1991 and was unveiled in Parliament by then Speaker of the House of Commons, John A. Fraser. In 1993, Kirkby was awarded the Commonwealth Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canadian Confederation in recognition of his outstanding contribution to Canada.
Kirkby lives on Vancouver Island and continues to capture on canvas the images that he loves. An avid fisherman, the outdoors continue to provide the inspiration for his paintings.
His works are found in a number of galleries, corporate and private collections throughout the world.