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Joel
Kirk Joel
Kirk was born in Dorking, Surrey in 1948. He
lived there for the duration of his father's service in the Coldstream Guards.
When his father left the regiment the family moved to Leigh-on-Sea in
Essex. Joel's
talent for art became apparent at a very early age. His love of wildlife gave the subject matter for a series of
successfully won art competitions during his school years.
After leaving school Joel worked for a time on a fishing boat in the
Thames estuary. It was then he
acquired his interest in seascapes and various seacraft, especially the Thames
barge, a particular favourite of his. In
1972 Joel was accepted into the Southend College of Art where he successfully
studied for three years, after which he became a freelance artist working for a
number of publishing houses. During
this time a wide range of Joel's work was published for the small print market,
these were to include a series of wildlife studies, wildflowers, landscapes and
Joel's Thames Barges. Four limited
editions were also published and several original works have been sold in
Harrods, one in particular, a study of an Arabian stallion was sold within hours
of being hung. In
1984 Joel, his wife Barbara and their daughter Tina, moved from Leigh-on-Sea to
Poole in Dorset and a selection of his most recent work can now be viewed there. Joel is still involved with publishing and is now art consultant to a new publishing company which he helped to set up. Publishing has played a major part in his career as an artist. Joel's name and work are now known in America, Australia and throughout Europe and the British Isles.
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