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J.T. Kirkland

Biography

Resides in Sterling, VA, USA

Professional

A largely self-taught artist, Kirkland has had solo exhibitions in New York, NY, Washington, D.C., Indianapolis, IN, and Richmond, VA, in addition to many curated group exhibitions across the country. In 2013, Kirkland’s work was published in New American Paintings – South Region. In 2012, he was awarded a Professional Artist Fellowship by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. In January 2010, Kirkland was an artist in residence at the Vermont Studio Center. Kirkland was awarded the Robert Riddick Memorial Award from the Rawls Museum, selected three times as a semi-finalist for the Sondheim Prize for artists in the Mid-Atlantic region, and won a Cummings MFA Grant. His work was acquired by the University of Kentucky Art Museum for their permanent collection. In addition to his studio practice, Kirkland has curated numerous exhibitions, published art criticism, and served as Director of Exhibitions for a contemporary art gallery in Washington, D.C.

Hirshhorn Boys

Personal

I hate art.

 

Correction: I hated art.

 

I was born in 1978 in Lexington, KY. My childhood environment did not value art, at least beyond the traditional macaroni necklace in elementary school art class. Instead, all the way through my sophomore year of college I was more focused on sports, muscle cars, and girls. In fact, I actively hated art. I thought it was stupid and served absolutely no purpose at all.

 

It's a decision that still surprises me today, but in my junior year at Centre College I chose to study abroad in Strasbourg, France. Early in the semester our group traveled to Paris for a weekend. It was an incredibly hot day and in an effort to find cooler temperatures we ducked inside an interesting building. As we cooled off we began to notice that the building, and the objects it housed, was incredibly special. We had stumbled upon the Musee d'Orsay.

 

Face to face with some of the best art in the world, I immediately "got" it. I was absorbed by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, specifically Monet and Van Gogh. I decided then and there that I had to become an artist. When we left the museum I found the nearest store where I could purchase a sketchbook. The rest of my time abroad was spent sketching out my first ideas while travelling throughout Europe in search of art museums. I felt transformed.

 

When I returned to school it was too late to change my major to Studio Art. I continued with my BS in Economics but I did take a Glass Blowing course under Stephen Rolfe Powell. As one of the country's most prominent glass artists he quickly opened my eyes to all there was to learn. It was daunting but it also solidified my desire to pursue art.

 

I graduated college in 2001 and moved to Washington, D.C. because of its relative small town feel and abundance of art museums. Since I had no formal art education to speak of, I set out to learn all that I could with the available resources in D.C. I visited museums and art galleries. I made artwork in my apartment stairwell and bathroom. In 2004, there was an art blog craze. Wanting to understand art more completely, I started the blog Thinking About Art. The reviews I posted provided a missing art education, and deepened my own practice.

 

My Dad was an avid woodworker and some would say that his influence obviously impacted me. One time, though, when I was young, he asked me to help him in the shop by sanding some wood. I began sanding the board against the grain. When my Dad barked at me for it I threw the sanding block down and never returned to help again. So perhaps it’s fitting that for the past thirteen years my work has focused almost exclusively on the natural beauty of wood. I make non-representational paintings on hardwood and plywood. I strive to find clarity and resolution in line, color, and form, while challenging viewers' perceptions of surface and space through simple, precise gestures on wood. My work serves to bring attention to the wood itself and I enjoy investigating the relationship between fine art and craft. I believe in craftsmanship.

 

I owe a great deal to my unbelievably supportive family, especially those two handsome boys above, Grey and Truitt. My youngest son is named after my favorite artist, Anne Truitt, a prominent artist who lived in the Washington, D.C. area and whose work often incorporated wood. Her book, Daybook, gave me the inspiration and validation needed to pursue my work. In it, Anne talks about all of her responsibilities: wife, mother, home maker, teacher, artist, etc. At the end of a long day, she might only have a little time and energy left for her work. She'd go out to her studio and paint a single coat of color on a sculpture. That would be all that she could do and it had to be enough.

 

I have a full-time day job and two very energetic little boys. I work when I can as hard as I can. At times, I regret that I cannot devote more time and energy to my artwork. But then I remember Anne Truitt and the great success she had. It worked for her and it will have to work for me.