Joy Kirton Smith

Joy Kirton-Smith derives much of her artistic inspiration from travelling and seeking out and absorbing the creativity and cultures of vibrant, atmospheric and beguiling locations, many of which paths have been previously trod by successful and historically-important artists before her. The likes of Venice, New Orleans during Mardi Gras season, Grand Cayman and Prague are a world away from her upbringing in England’s Black Country, which is found in the heart of the once-heavily industrialised West Midlands near Birmingham. But to Kirton-Smith’s mind these soul-searching missions are invaluable to the development and evolution of her own brand of art, and as visual reference points are priceless to her approach and application to her art.

Although merely paying visits to Venice, New Orleans and Prague (three more diverse destinations you would struggle to find), they are only that. Fleeting and transient escapes that deliver what they set out to do in Kirton-Smith’s mind, whereas Grand Cayman represented an altogether different perspective to the celebrated contemporary figurative artist. Here was a place she called home for 12 months, as she lived and worked there, privy to relentlessly beautiful sunsets casting their reflective magnificence on the azure blues of the sea directly beneath.

Yet as hinted above it was the very opposing views of the Black Country near Stourbridge where Kirton-Smith was born that provided her early years vistas, and before her family later relocated to the equally contrasting Worcestershire countryside. It was whilst she spent her school days in Old Fleet on the banks of the River Severn that Kirton-Smith first became aware of and exposed to any degree of creativity. During this period her father and two elder brothers ran a painting and decorating business which proved an immeasurable influence on a young and impressionable Kirton-Smith at this juncture, as – and going against the usually relatively conservative home-decorating grain – their approach to the trying out of new materials and pushing of innovative styles was seen as very adventurous. Yet one of the main aspects that piqued Kirton-Smith’s fledgling interest and stuck with her in latter years as she embarked on her own creative career was the administration and development of flux and backgrounds. Both elements which are key to what’s now referred to as hallmark Kirton-Smith bodies of highly illustrative work.

But then there was something of a gap between Kirton-Smith’s first insight into functional creativity and herself being afforded the opportunity to follow this up and explore the potential of related disciplines herself. Indeed, Kirton-Smith’s formal introduction to art arrived a succession of years later, and which necessitated a return to a classroom setting. Halesowen College was the learned establishment in Kirton-Smith’s native West Midlands where she eventually secured her A-Level in Fine Art, before deciding to remain at the college in the guise of workshop group member for a period afterwards.

During her involvement in this post-graduate workshop scenario, Kirton-Smith grew fascinated with the particular drawing techniques that could quite literally bring a work of art to life before your eyes. Vibrancy and movement were seen as crucial illustrative factors to Kirton-Smith’s evolving eye, and she was soon drawn to the past masters of the Italian Renaissance, specifically the creative life and times of Michelangelo, who she readily cites as her main inspiration. Elsewhere Kirton-Smith became a massive fan of Rembrandt and his original drawing techniques, whilst she also favours the teachings of the Flemish school in the Rjyksmuseum, Amsterdam.

When broaching the subject of her influences Kirton-Smith waxes lyrical about the Italian Renaissance and the impact its movement had on society as a whole around that time, and of course how it still inspires so much we see today. To her mind the history of art, rightly so is nothing if not a true reflection of life at that given time, and the undeniable romanticism of these exponents – artists and sculptors alike – based in Florence would have been witnessed by those present at the same time as Shakespeare was originating his plays and sonnets, thousands of miles away in Stratford and London. These thoughts are not lost on Kirton-Smith, and it’s the literal and figurative classicism of this era which remains the main inspiration behind her paintings.

To date, Kirton-Smith has enjoyed a host of successful exhibitions of her individual and collective works throughout the UK and across Europe, and was recently nominated as a finalist in the prestigious ‘Best Artist’ category, as selected by members of the Fine Art Trade Guild. What’s more, Kirton-Smith’s back catalogue of work has been reproduced as fine quality limited edition prints on numerous occasions, in excess of 40 and counting, most of which routinely sell-out on publication/release.