12 Artists & IllustratorsRIGHT Radka Kirby,
Flamboyant in
Bloom, oil on
canvas,
120x90cmINSPIRING NEW ARTWORKS, STRAIGHT
OFF THE EASELRADKA KIRBY
Living in Zambia for more than five years, oil painter Radka
Kirby loved to follow wild paths into nature and paint what
she found there. The wonderful light, peaceful atmosphere
and the huge jacaranda and eucalyptus trees full of
character can be seen in Flamboyant in Bloom.
Painting using only a palette knife for 13 years, Radka
can achieve an almost stained glass mosaic effect in her
paintings. “I first started to use this method to paint the
patterns on animals like giraffes and leopards and then
tried it on landscapes and portraits. The knife gives me
more freedom and faster, varied strokes,” she says.
In the beginning, Radka had a hard time creating portrait
details with the knife, but overcame these with practice
and working with good quality oil colours, and only on
canvas. “The quality of evening and early morning light in
Africa is very special, so the most challenging aspect of
this work was to catch the life and light in the painting,
getting the perfect colour of the tree’s flowers,” she says.
A talented piano player as well as a painter, music is a
big part of Radka’s life. “I used to listen to music a lot while
painting. I had a feeling that the music I listened to
influenced the style of painting and my energy.”
Now living in Prague with her 11-year-old daughter and
11-month-old son, six hours of painting a day has
momentarily been reduced, and although Radka is happy
to be nearer friends and family, she tries to make a yearly
visit back to Zambia. “Africa gave life to my paintings, so I
miss it a lot,” she says.
Radka’s painting will appear in the David Shepherd Wildlife
Artist of the Year Exhibition 2016 at Mall Galleries, London,
SW1, 28 June to 2 July 2016. http://www.radutesaro.com >top tip
A palette knife can
allow more freedom to
experiment on canvas,
as seen in Radka’s
‘mosaic’ style12 Fresh Paint.indd 12 12/05/2016 10: