John Kirby Hearing Voices, 2002

Kirby is not a painter of time, place or person: his work is figurative, but not representation- except to the extent that many paintings contain a strong element of family and self-portraiture. Sometimes the self-image is unmistakable; at other times, Kirby is painting the self rather than himself. While his background and nature are highly individual, the way he tackles the eternal difficulties of selfness has a directness that creates a strange empathy. An artist who explores the pain of being alone has the gift, through his work, of reaching out to others. - Robert Heller, 1994