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Rikkianne Van Kirk
Rikkianne Van Kirk is a San Antonio artist who creates minimal, monochromatic ink and Sharpie drawings that focus on emotion and gesture. She often works on antique and salvaged paper, giving new life to materials with personal history. She also manages the art gallery and studio at the Mercury Project in Southtown.
MORE ABOUT THIS ARTIST
Artist Type: Visual Arts: Illustrator, Mixed Media Artist, Muralist, Painter
Artist Style: Visual Art: Illustrative, Minimalism
Artist Medium: Acrylic; Drawing Media; Ink, Sharpie
Artist Statement of Work
Tell us about your work (style, approach, philosophy, subject and/or theme):
I am fascinated by the power of the line. Like the paper that I work with, my hand drawn line isn’t perfect. My goal is to relay a posture, an emotion, a scene in the simplest way possible. Erasing to see where the power lies.
I am inspired by the rich past of found materials. My art materials include antique diaries, flash cards, scrapbooks, travel journals – old paper destined for the waste bin. Old paper lasts for decades and ages beautifully. The texture is a delight to draw on. It soaks the ink up. Often there are creases, indentations, or sun faded sections that only add to the scene.
Negative space plays a large role in my work. It allows the viewer to place themselves, their thoughts and expectations, into the piece. I am a fan of the written word and collect quotes and fancy, old timey one-liners. My art honors and reclaims the sentimental. It strives to show the vulnerability, the softness, of personal history.