About the Artist

Jerry Lee Kirk is an Expressionist Painter who has won numerous awards, most notable being an Emerging Artist Grant from the Arts and Science Council of Charlotte/Mecklenburg. His work has been exhibited in dozens of galleries throughout the United States, including Ward-Nasse Gallery in NYC, Waterworks Gallery in Salisbury, NC, R.J. Reynolds Gallery in Winston-Salem, NC, Reinert Gallery in Blowing Rock, NC, The Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, NC, and Emerald C Gallery in Coronado, California. His work is included in private collections throughout the world, as well as several corporate collections.

Jerry began his Fine Art career after moving to Charlotte, NC, over 30 years ago, and has won acclaim for work that addresses political and social concerns as well as his expressionist landscapes of the Carolina coast and mountains. Jerry is also one of the founding fathers of NoDa, Charlotte’s Historic North Davidson Street Art District.

Kirk's first professional job as an artist was as a newspaper editorial cartoonist in Virginia. From there, he moved on to work as a graphic designer and illustrator, then art director for various advertising agencies, all the while exhibiting and selling his paintings in galleries and Festivals. He was also the owner of his own gallery, the short-lived but award-winning "Sanctuary Art".

Working from his home studio, Kirk produces paintings of various themes in a unified, unique style of bold colors and hard lines, showing the influence of both German Expressionism and Picasso. Over a decade ago, Kirk turned his attention to landscapes, attempting to bring a different perspective to a somewhat tired genre, and the result has been some of his most dynamic and successful paintings. Using both mountains and coastline as inspiration, Kirk creates meticulously detailed renderings that are alive with vibrant light and deep shadows

Kirk currently resides in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his lovely wife Lisa, precious cat Hamilton, and adorable min-labradoodle, Charlotte. His beautiful and talented daughter Elysia, who is an actor and singer/songwriter, lives in Brooklyn, NY. Her elegant and melodic indie-pop songs stream on all music platforms. 

"Jerry Lee Kirk can’t go without mention here - his work is whimsical and eye-catching in a way that I’ve seen captured only by other artists such as Picasso, Peter Max and Paul Cadmus" - David Moore, Creative Loafing 

"Renowned for his use of vibrant color and expressionist style, Kirk's art portrays North Carolina landscapes in a bold new way. From the mountains to the coast, Kirk has captured the beauty of North Carolina while creating energy, evoking mood, and stirring emotion on the canvas." - Statesville/Hickory Record News