Artist profile
Rhoda
Rhoda Kirk is a Western Australian artist whose work explores light, form, and the figure through a disciplined practice of drawing and painting from life. Her oils and pastels, grounded in traditional technique and an ongoing study of art history, seek to capture a sense of universal presence within atmospheric, ambiguous spaces.
Bio 2026
Rhoda strives to form a bridge between figuration and abstraction, particularly in relationship to the human form. Graduating in 2015 from Curtin University with an honours degree in fine art, she has maintained an ongoing dialogue with the history of art, particularly, in relationship to painting. Her work employs traditional painting techniques such as chiaroscuro, glazing and scumbling along with more contemporary, a la prima techniques and the use of pastels. She has travelled extensively around Europe observing the works of the great masters and studied with some living masters in Italy. This has had a big influence on her development as an artist. She has developed her painting and drawing skills by hours spent in the studio and by painting and drawing from life and live models. She is involved in the Perth life drawing scene and is involved in running various painting and drawing groups.
Recently she has been doing some plein air painting which she is hoping to further develop.
Artist Quote
- Studying with Vincent Desiderio in Italy (2025)
- Solo Exibition Canning Bridge ArtSpace (2022)
- Honours Degree in Fine Art, Curtin University (2015)
Artist Interview
What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?
I primarily work with oil paints because I love their tactility and the ability to blend, build texture, and achieve rich, luminous effects through scumbling, glazing, and impasto. For quick figure studies from life, I also use charcoal and pastels for their immediacy and expressive line quality.
How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?
My process is flexible and often intuitive, while many pieces begin with life drawing, inspiration also comes from photographs, memory, or a spontaneous idea. I work experimentally, allowing each piece to evolve through discovery rather than strict planning. Quick sketches help explore composition, but in the studio, the painting develops through layers, guided by feel and the emerging surface.
Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?
My studio is a space for experimentation. I have paintings at various stages on the go, all waiting to be resolved, surrounded by books and photos from various sources, including master works. Organised chaos. I can lose myself there for hours, completely absorbed in the tactility of the paint.
