Fantastical Morphology: The Art of Richard A. Kirk


Botanica” by Richard A. Kirk.

The artwork of Richard A. Kirk is delicate, dense, mysterious, formidable. Rendered in ink, graphite and silverpoint, his most successful pieces conjure echoes of everyone from Rackham and Froud to Yerka and Barlow and Beksinski; everything from the The Garden of Earthly Delights to The Fairy Feller’s Master Stroke to Haeckel’s monographs; yet the overall aesthetic is very much its own thing, and still evolving.


Chimera” by Richard A. Kirk.

Kirk’s done illustration work for China Mieville and Clive Barker, and shares Strychnin representation with Coilhouse faves like Madeline von Foerster, Chet Zar and Natalie Shau. In other words, he is a badass. Keep an eye on him.

A few more pieces after the jump. Click their titles to see higher res versions. Also see previous Coilhouse coverage of:


Murder in the Court of the Katydid King” by Richard A. Kirk


Iconoclast” by Richard A. Kirk.


Searching for the Breadcrumb Navigator” by Richard A. Kirk


Long Leggers Call on What is Required” by Richard A. Kirk

5 Responses to “Fantastical Morphology: The Art of Richard A. Kirk”

  1. Jerem Morrow Says:

    His work in Imajica hit the nail on the multi-fingered head.

  2. Ev Says:

    Wonderful seeing this here! He’s been a long-time favorite of mine. I agree with Jerem on Imajica. He did it great justice.

    He’s also illustrated the covers of several collections of stories by CaitlĂ­n R. Kiernan, including her forthcoming The Ammonite Violin & Others. It’s a lovely cover.

  3. Paul Komoda Says:

    His work is exquisite! I only discovered him last year, but I’ve been a fan ever since.

  4. Kai Smart Says:

    I had never seen his work at the time, but I had some obsessive Korn fans in the tattoo shop where I work who wanted Korn-themed tattoos and I talked them into getting art from one of their albums- which I am now sure was work by Kirk.

    It was BY FAR the most interesting of the imagery from their albums, and therefore very fun to tattoo, with all the eggs and twigs and metal wings. Thanks Richard A. Kirk! You saved the day!

  5. magpie's shiny things » Morning Linkage (Mar 26): Says:

    […] Kirk, spooky, delicate creatures. Pen and pencil on […]