"There is a kind of light we see emerging from darkness in a very subtle way which is called luminosity. It is the kind of light in nature that does not stem from heat as does the light from fire, from the sun, or from the reflection of incandescent light. A luminous object seems to have light as a part of its substance and/metabolism."
--Abstraction in Art & Nature, by Nathan Cabot Hale.
“I like to contemplate landscapes especially. I imagine that the effects and play of light upon the shapes and surfaces of the Eastern Sierra are as dynamic and fascinating as anywhere in the world and hence the subject for the majority of my work.” So writes Dave Kirk, an artist of the Sierra Nevada who in his work brings to our eyes what John Muir meant when he called these mountains the ‘range of light.’”
There is a kind of meditation that Kirk uses in his process of painting. “Oftentimes people make a connection with a particular painting because the subject is of a place where they had unique personal experiences.” Continuing his experiments which he likens to play he explains, “Part of the game is being in control but only to some degree. Instead of controlling I like to call it guiding. Let it do its thing. With too much control then to me it’s no longer art but a mere academic exercise.”
After pausing in silence, Dave says, “Landscape, I believe, shapes culture and when a landscape is negatively altered or defaced, the culture is impoverished on many levels. From the mid nineteenth century to present art has played a remarkable role in the movement to protect landscapes and the living things that reside therein. In my own humble way, I would like to be part of that tradition by making art that sparks an awareness of our interrelatedness with nature and the landscape.”
What always strikes me in Dave’s work and in several special paintings, is how he illuminates the light coming from solid things. But this light emanates not from the surface but deeper in. He says, “I like watercolor because of the medium's ability to convey light and atmospheric effects and the often unpredictable interaction with the surface it's applied to. I also enjoy combining gouache and watercolor on colored paper or board in order to achieve those desired effects.”
After spending two interviews with Dave, and looking at his work, I still found his use of light in his work both mysterious and enlightening. I struggled for a month or two with what to call his technique, philosophy and artist’s aesthetic. As with his struggle using words to talk about what he captures with painting, I finally settled on “substantial luminosity.” Dave Kirk captures on paper our landscape’s substantial luminosity, a light that comes from within and becomes more than energy but instead almost material in nature and thus substantial. For me that makes Dave Kirk an amazing and important artist of our landscape.
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BELOW: Mt. Williamson, Winter Storm, 2017
Watercolor and Gouache 18 X 24"
ABOVE: EAT II, 2013
Watercolor, 16 x 20"
BELOW: Mount Tom from Sherwin Summit, Bishop, CA 2022
Gouache on Toned Board, 16 x 22"
Substantial Luminosity
Excerpts from DAVE KIRK: AN ARTIST OF THE SUBSTANTIAL LUMINOSITY OF THINGS By Christopher Langley
EYE ON INYO ARTISTS Inyo Register Thursday, February 7th, 2019 Edition