Kevin Irwin

Kentuck Art Night Welcomes Three Guest Artists

By Aaron Bonner, Northport Gazette
Published June 12, 2019

From ceramic sculptures of dragons and cats to oil paintings of the early morning glow across The University of Alabama’s quad, June Art Night at Kentuck had a bit of everything on display for residents of all ages.
Featuring three guest artists, as well as vendors and hands-on activities for guests, the museum and Teer galleries of Kentuck Art Center were filled with dozens of art pieces, each serving as a reflection of the artist who created them. In the museum gallery, Kevin Irwin, a self-taught mixed-media artist from Birmingham, AL, walked the floors eager to share her art with the people of Northport.
“I would go to the library and and get these really silly books because I didn’t really know what to do, like I thought ‘you can do stuff with clay?’ and I just started working,” Irwin said. “I think, fortunately, that’s why my style is fairly unique, because I never got any training on what to do, what not to do or what’s trending. I’ve don’t really care about that.”
Originally from California, Irwin moved to Birmingham when she was 18, learning her craft from books and from taking the initiative to play around with different mediums to see how the artform works to bring her ideas to life. Taking inspiration from the world around her, she crafts sculptures, designs landscapes and paints animals all in her unique style.
Art, for her, is a form of visual storytelling all taken at her own pace. Working with a variety of mediums, Irwin’s art covers a variety of subjects, though many of her pieces deal with the mischievous nature of animals, such as her and her husband’s cats, along with the colorful environment they exist within.
One of her pieces, “Cat Business,” is a vibrantly colored oil painting featuring a multitude of felines jumping across a living room, using the furniture as their playground. Another, “Welcome Dragon,” is a ceramic sculpture displaying a fantasy dragon, breathing flames while appearing to reach out to receive a hug.
“I just get really into the details,” she said. “I just want to enjoy it, I don’t want to rush through it, because It’s kind of like evolving the story. Like, with [The Yard], these dogs have completely destroyed this yard and are like ‘oh, that was fun, get me another yard!’ So they evolve, I didn’t plan this piece, but as I’m making it, it’s like turning the pages of a story and so I’m not in a big rush because I don’t really know the end myself.”

Artist Uses Work to Bring Joy

By PEGGY USSERY
Published: November 28, 2008

Dragons are a regular fixture in the art of Kevin Irwin, whose work is on display at the Wiregrass Museum of Art until Jan. 1.

Kevin Irwin is fascinated by dragons. Actually, she loves them.
The mythical creatures appear in almost every culture. In some cultures, these fire-breathing animals are bad and are routinely destroyed by those who are good. In others, the dragon is a protector and a symbol of good fortune.
In Irwin’s world, they curl up in bed and snuggle. Or lounge on the couch and read. They use their fiery breath to make glass beads. They’re mischievous — ripping up museum fliers when nobody’s looking and everybody’s staring.
“The dragons kind of embody my philosophy of life,” Irwin said. “ ... I look at life very positively, so I kind of created my own dragon.”
And what fun Irwin’s dragons have in still life.
These ceramic, glass and wire sculptures can be seen at the Wiregrass Museum of Art as part of Irwin’s exhibit created specifically for the museum and appropriately named “An Incident at the Wiregrass Museum of Art.” Irwin’s work will be on display until Jan. 1.
But the dragons are just part of the exhibit. The real inspiration for Irwin’s Dothan exhibit were squirrels in her Birmingham backyard. Squirrels that terrorize her dog. Squirrels her dog loves to chase. Squirrels that chew their way into her home. It’s a whimsical world of animals and havoc.
The premise is what would happen if squirrels got into the museum after hours. Well, in Irwin’s interpretation, they’d climb up an antique chandelier, get into display cases and tear open an unattended cookie box.
Her squirrels are joined by the dragons and cats. Irwin and her husband rescue cats, so it’s not unusual for a cat to be in her art studio. A piece called “The Cat Salon” started with Irwin making one big ceramic cat in a bathing pose. Then she made another. And another.
“When I saw them lined up, I loved it,” Irwin said. “It looks like a salon. It was happening, and I followed it. It was very spontaneous.”
Irwin moved to Birmingham from California in 1970. She’s been a full-time studio artist ever since — working six days a week, eight hours a day. She’s self-taught on clay and painting. She began making glass pieces 15 years ago after studying an Italian method and attending classes.
For Irwin, her creatures come alive when she’s molding them. All her animal creations have the same eyes — an almond-shaped Egyptian look. She likes the eye shape because it’s full of mischief and wisdom, she said.
“The Incident” is Irwin’s first exhibit at the Wiregrass Museum of Art. When invited to show her work, Irwin said she didn’t want to just send what she had on hand. She wanted to do something special, and the museum staff gave her the freedom to do it.
“I wanted the exhibition to be something children of all ages could come in and appreciate,” Irwin said. “I want for every age to come in here and get it.”
Irwin said it’s important to her that her work be beautiful to look at, and she keeps that in mind when she chooses her colors and the details she puts in a piece or art work. But her work is also about humor.
“I think it’s just as important for art to bring joy,” Irwin said. “I think the greatest gift or the biggest success that art can be is if you can make someone smile, laugh or feel good even for a moment.”