Lorna Kirin

Lorna Holdcroft-Kirin was born in Surrey in 1967. She trained at Wimbledon School of Art where she was awarded the prize for drawing.

In the late 1980s, Lorna studied at North East Polytechnic (now University of East London). As a result of this she gained a BA Hons in Fine Art.

Based in the heart of the East End of London, she drew inspiration from disused dockland areas and industrial landscapes. Here, she explored her love of colour and texture, a passion that has informed her painting ever since.

“I always strive to convey that moment when I see an amazing view for the first time and for that I have to have experienced it myself.  To be able to observe the subtle changes in nature, weather and light with each week and season, brings a real privilege. Colour has always been central to my work and invariably is the initial inspiration for a new project. It is what really moves me. Whether it be the fantastic array of hues in tree bark, a thunderous Prussian blue sky or the sumptuous crimson of an amaryllis.

I love playing with contrasts and like to push pigments to evoke a real sense of emotion and to make the subject resonate. The thrill of applying paint to a surface is just so exciting. With bold washes and thick textured brush marks I love to explore the possibilities that can be achieved with each media, evoking a real sense of immediacy and excitement.

I cover the surface with paint quickly to get a sense of colour and tone, and work the whole painting at once. I also use a lot of water, deliberately. This is to wash out areas of semi-dry watercolour or to cause the break-up of pastel pigment.This gives often surprising and always intriguing results. I love the journey each painting takes me on – it’s definitely a two way process!

Now living in Suffolk, Lorna has exhibited widely in London, Surrey and Sussex. She also has work in private collections all over the world.