Chris Kirby
Chris Kirby is a Norfolk-based contemporary modernist artist whose paintings explore shape, form, colour and space.
Accepted into Kingston School of Art and Design in the mid-1960s, his early artistic interests centred on modernism and geometric abstraction, influences that continue to inform his work.
Inspired by Britain's traditional wooden working boats, particularly the crab boats of his native Norfolk, together with historic smacks and luggers, Chris approaches these vessels as sculptural forms rather than conventional maritime subjects.
Often depicting boats gathered together at low tide, he treats them almost as still-life subjects, exploring the juxtaposition of their hulls, curves and angles. Simplified forms, restrained palettes and expansive fields of colour give his compositions a distinctly modernist character.
His more recent abstract BOAT series develops these ideas further, reducing familiar boat forms to their essential geometric elements.
Occasionally, Chris paints wooden working boats as realistic studies, often to compliment his writings on this subject. He also curates art exhibitions such as "By Way of the Sea."
Most recent exhibitions have been his solo show “Crabbers & Whelkers” at Cromer Artspace in April 2026, and he curated “By Way of the Sea” exhibition, at St. Nicholas, Salthouse in October, 2026.
Artist Statement
I am drawn to Britain's traditional wooden working boats, fishermen's huts and other modest coastal structures - reflecting my interest in the working landscapes of Britain's coast.
What interests me most about these boats is their sculptural character, particularly when beached at low tide, exposing the curves, lines and weathered surfaces of their wooden hulls.
I approach groups of boats much as a still-life painter might arrange objects, concentrating on the relationships between their shapes, proportions and angles. I simplify these forms, placing them within expansive fields of muted colour, interrupted by the occasional horizon, mast or mooring line. My compositions are deliberately restrained, with an emphasis on balance, simplicity and space.
My abstract BOAT series takes this approach further, reducing the familiar shapes of working boats to their basic geometric forms.
Work
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
Photo: @chriskirbyart
