Bio
Shirley Kirkcaldy SWAc is a contemporary landscape artist based in Devon, England. Specialising in original landscape paintings in oil and mixed media, her work draws inspiration from the interplay between light, land and sea and captures the unique beauty and changing moods of the Southwest.
Also available as limited edition, fine art giclee prints, her artwork is designed to suit both contemporary lifestyles and curated interiors.
Shirley has exhibited widely and is represented by several contemporary art galleries. She is an Academician with the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts (SWAc) and her paintings are held in private collections across the UK and internationally.
Artist Statement
My work is an expressive interpretation of the landscape, with a deep sense of place at it’s heart. It explores the beauty and remoteness of this southwest corner of England, in all its weathers and seasons.
Paintings are created from sketches and studies made in the landscape and developed later in my studio. Synonymous with light, atmosphere and energy, they are rich in personal responses, searching for something more than the obvious and overriding the need for direct representation. This allows a freedom to interpret and explore new ways of expressing ideas through the physicality of paint and other media, whilst also capturing an authenticity borne of a specific location.
Ultimately, paintings determine their own direction and their own conclusion and what lies within their layers becomes as important as what can be seen on the surface …. much like the landscape itself.
Studio.
My studio is located at Buckland Abbey, a historic National Trust site nestled in the moorland near Yelverton, Devon. It’s a working space where paintings are in progress as well as for sale on the studio walls. Also stocked are special edition prints, greeting cards and a curated range of contemporary merchandise and affordable gifts, professionally reproduced from my original artwork and handcrafted in the UK.
The studio is surrounded by woodland walks, with Dartmoor on the doorstep and on site is the National Trust cafe offering a delicious array of food and drinks, ideal if you want to make a day of it! Furry friends and children are most welcome.
Usual opening days are Thursday to Sunday 11-4 but please check before making a special trip as I may be working away from the studio. For visits outside these times please get in touch.