Shirley Kirkcaldy

Shirley Kirkcaldy is a contemporary landscape painter, living and working on Dartmoor in Devon, UK. Drawing inspiration from the interplay between light and landscape, her semi-abstract paintings aim to capture the energy and atmosphere of the Cornish coastlines and wild moorlands of Devon.
‘My work is both expressive and of the moment, with a deep sense of place at its heart. Synonymous with light, atmosphere and energy, it is rich in personal responses, searching for something more than what the eye perceives and overriding the importance of direct representation. This allows me a freedom to interpret and explore new ways of expressing my ideas through the physicality of paint and other media, whilst also capturing an authenticity borne of a specific location. Often determining their own direction and their own conclusion, what lies deep within the layers of a painting becomes as important as what can be seen on the surface. Much like the landscape itself’
Shirley works from her studio at Buckland Abbey, a historic site nestled in the Dartmoor landscape. It is here that paintings are developed from sketches made on location.
An elected Academician with the South West Academy of Fine and Applied Arts (SWAc), she has exhibited widely, is internationally collected and passionate about creating art.