Kirk Maynard

Orange, New Jersey

Kirk Maynard uses oil paint and oil pastel to create poignant works that focus on social, political and cultural issues through the lens of portraiture and composition.

Kirk Maynard is a mixed media artist who is originally from Brooklyn, New York. A second-generation Guyanese-American, Kirk’s work focuses on the political undercurrents of culture and identity in America. His work has been exhibited in solo and group shows in New York City, San Francisco, and New Jersey. He has also given artist talks at the New Museum, Queens College, and Princeton University. Kirk currently lives and works in Orange, New Jersey.​

Kirk’s artistic practice focuses on social, political and cultural issues through the lens of portraiture and composition. Often referencing American social history, his work explores the intersection between identity and politics through juxtaposition.

Finding inspiration from Kehinde Wiley, Amy Sherald, and Charles White, Kirk believes that art is the vessel through which creativity and conceptualization can be fostered. It allows the audience and the artist to engage with the world around them through symbols.