Growing up in Devon, Shirley developed an early and enduring affinity with the moorlands and coastlines of the southwest and, having travelled extensively for much of her adult life, now lives on Dartmoor. Self-taught, her work explores a personal response to a landscape that, whilst familiar, often remains elusive in its remoteness.

“Working inside and out, light and atmosphere feature significantly in depicting a sense of place and time, where final images become less documentary and thus open to viewer interpretation. Paintings are created in oil or mixed media from sketches I make on location, which combine with memory and materials back in my studio; it is there that ideas are investigated, and possibilities explored, until I feel that something beyond the obvious has been achieved.

The west country is a rich corner for inspiration that offers opportunity for personal expression and which motivates a painting practice that, whilst often experimental, feels grounded and coherent”.

Shirley became an Associate member of the South West Academy in February 2019 and, in addition to SWAc, has exhibited widely across the UK. Her work is represented by several southwest galleries as well as in private collections in the UK, USA, New Zealand and Europe.

www.shirleykirkcaldyart.com