Water + Metal: Assemblages and Prints

On display Jan. 26-April 12, 2017

Bodhisattva by Brian Kirk, mixed media, cast glass, rust print, 22 x 14 x 3”

About Brian Kirk, GW Alumnus

Brian Kirk received a B.A. in Fine Arts from The George Washington University and a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Studies in Studio Art from Virginia Commonwealth University. He also studied art at University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico.

An avid sculptor in stone, metal, clay and mixed media, he exhibits his work regionally. Two of Kirk’s metal sculptures were recently selected for the Town of Leesburg’s Raflo Park Sculpture Garden where they are currently on display. Another large contemporary metal sculpture resides in an Alexandria courtyard. Many others are in private collections. 

Kirk says he has found his calling in teaching. A full-time art teacher with Loudoun County Public Schools, he has been the Fine Arts Department Chair at Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn since its opening in 1999. He also has taught classes for VCU and continues to teach welding at the Art League in Alexandria.  A Fulbright Teacher Program fellow, Brian studied Japanese culture and art in Tokyo and Shizouka, Japan. He has lived in Mexico, Germany and Belgium and has traveled extensively in Europe.

Kirk is driven by his curiosity of the natural world, use of natural materials and learning new art-making processes and techniques. His work includes steel sculpture, stone carvings and printmaking. His foray into rust prints was an accidental discovery after he left a piece of steel on a cardboard box and weeks later discovered a pattern left by rust on the surface.

Now a standard printmaking process for the artist, Kirk places a steel plate between two sheets of paper, then soaks it for six weeks in water. During that time, the steel oxidizes (rusts) and transfers that rust onto the paper. Afterward, he seals the finished print.  Each print is unique, and while the outcome is somewhat predictable, Kirk says the interesting and unexpected effects are what make the process enjoyable.

To inquire about Brian Kirk’s artwork, please contact the artist at [email protected]. 
 

Gallery Information

The exhibit is on display at the GW Virginia Science & Technology Campus, Enterprise Hall, 44983 Knoll Square, First Floor Gallery, Ashburn, VA 20147. It is free and open to the public. 

The exhibit hours are 7 a.m.-9 p.m., 7 days a week. Please contact building security to ensure access at (571) 553-3511 or (202) 815-9741.