Brian Kirkpatrick

A definition of folk art is a form of art originating among the common people of a nation or region usually reflecting their traditional culture, especially everyday items and occurrences depicted, produced or decorated by unschooled artists. Old Mystic artist Brian Kirkpatrick follows in the best traditions of American folk art, painting his surroundings in a fresh and vibrant way.

 Kirkpatrick keeps studios in Old Mystic, on the west coast of Florida, and on Martha’s Vineyard, Mass. It is in these varied locales that he finds his inspiration. An avid outdoorsman, Kirkpatrick has chronicled in his paintings the activities of countless fishermen, birds, and wildlife. Kirkpatrick is also a lover of antiques, which find their way into many charming still life paintings. He captures the charm and beauty in every day events, such as the county fair, a lobster dinner, or an old car rumbling down the street. He paints many portraits of the colorful characters that populate his haunts; characters who inevitably define a region – be they a Menemsha lobsterman emptying his pots, a town historian spinning yarns, or an old horse whisperer giving his four-hoofed friend a brushing.

Kirkpatrick is entirely self-taught. As such his paintings display the naiveté and primitive style typical of “folk art.”  His paintings celebrate the joy to be found in the simple things, and they can harken us back to simpler times. This is what the best folk art does. Not only does it tell a story or capture a moment in time, but it can sometimes send as back to a place remembered only in the very back of our mind. Kirkpatrick’s work, typical of much folk art, challenges the viewer only as much as the viewer wants to be challenged. Taken at face vale, the scenes are simple, usually happy. But the viewer can delve deeper if he wishes; there are complex stories to be shared in many of Kirkpatrick’s paintings.