James Kirkwood
James Kirkwood is an artist who is never far from his sketchpad. He draws like other people take photographs. In his studio are piles of books crammed with lively illustrations of gardens, views and trees. “I love to draw, it makes you stop and really look at the scene in front of you. An area gets more interesting and layered the more you look at it.” When Kirkwood moved to Nelson a couple of years ago he enjoyed walking around the hills and sketching the scenery. “I became interested in Walters Bluff and the views across to Founders Park. The train track, the bridge and the lake seemed reminiscent of a traditional oriental scene. I would go back repeatedly and sketch at different times of day and in different seasons.” These drawings formed the basis of Kirkwood’s 2018 Exhibition 'Walters Bluff: Outdoors for the Indoors'. Kirkwood’s paintings are no regular landscapes. He is inspired by a diverse range of influences including the classical French Baroque period, traditional Chinese paintings and how these are reproduced in Western art, interior design and garden trends from the 1800s. These elements are combined in artworks that challenge and play with our perceptions. There is a humour and lightness to Kirkwood’s paintings, but also a depth that will reward those who spend time deconstructing the layers.
Kirkwood graduated from the Elam School of Fine Arts in 1986. He has regularly exhibited in Auckland at the Anna Miles Gallery. He has been a finalist in the Wallace Art Awards on two occasions and was the winner of the Team McMillan BMW Art Award in 2005. Kirkwood's unique take on the Chinese Pagoda has been part of Auckland's 'Sculpture in the Gardens' in 2013 and 2020.
