David Kirkman
Abstract Painting | Emotion & Energy | Chaos, Calm & Colour
David Kirkman is a British abstract artist based in Leigh-on-Sea, known for bold, immersive mixed-media paintings that turn raw emotion into powerful fields of colour and movement. His work thrives on contrast - chaos and calm, freedom and overwhelm, momentum and stillness - distilled into compositions that feel both spontaneous and deeply personal.
As a neurodivergent artist (AuDHD), David experiences the world with heightened intensity: fast thoughts, deep feeling and a constant internal hum. Painting becomes his moment of quiet - a way to ground the noise and translate it into texture, gesture and rhythm. His process is instinctive and emotional, guided by sensation rather than plan, allowing each piece to emerge as an honest snapshot of the moment it was created.
A passionate scuba diver, David draws inspiration from the stillness and surrender found underwater. That sense of weightlessness and presence flows through his paintings, where pockets of calm sit inside expansive, energetic surfaces. It’s this duality that gives his work its depth - raw emotion held inside colour, atmosphere and flow.
Self-taught and driven by experimentation, David works with acrylic, spray paint, oil pastel and layered textures to build richly tactile surfaces. His paintings have been exhibited widely across the UK, including solo shows such as Mind Fizz at The Circle Gallery in Ascot, Herding Cats at 142 Gallery in Felixstowe and Embracing You at Bannatyne Hotel & Spa in Hastings. His work is held in private collections throughout the UK and Europe and has been featured in Artist Talk Magazine, Collect Art Magazine and Haus-a-Rest.
Each painting invites the viewer into David’s emotional landscape - raw, open and full of life - a reminder that chaos can be transformed into colour, movement and hope.
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