Brian Kirchoff

Brian J. Kirchoff
Born 1960, St. Louis Missouri USA

Artist Statement

I've always been drawn to things that show their history.

Old painted advertisements on brick buildings are a good example. You can see something that was there years ago beneath what came later—faded lettering, peeling paint, colors showing through. I like that sense of time, age and discovery, and it has found its way into the way I paint.

I don't really begin with a blank canvas. I build something, paint over it, uncover parts of it, alter it and respond to what remains. I add layers of color and texture, scratch and rub things away, and leave some areas untouched. The painting evolves through that process of covering, revealing and discovering.

A lot of my process comes down to one question: “What happens if I do this?”

I paint and respond to what I see in real time. Sometimes the result is nothing like what I intended. Sometimes I see something interesting that I never would have thought to create intentionally. When that happens, I follow it. I purposely try not to be perfect, because perfection limits possibilities.

Line and mark are especially important to me, as are color, texture, movement and tension. Sometimes the result is purely abstract. Othe...

Self-taught

St. Louis Artist Guild Show 2021
Edwardsville Illinois Art Fair Summer 2021
Missouri Athletic Club, St. Louis, Missouri - Group Show (St. Louis, MO) Summer 2022 Kirkwood Performing Arts Center - Solo Show (Kirkwood, MO) Fall 2022
Webster Arts Gallery, Webster Groves, MO Fall 2022
St. Charles (MO) Art Fair Summer 2022
Montminy Art Gallery - Solo Show (Columbia, MO) Jan - March 2023
Queeny Park Art Fair Spring 2023 (St. Louis, MO)
Laumeier Art Fair 2023 (St. Louis, MO) May 2023