About
Kirsty McIntyre
Kirsty McIntyre is a Melbourne based bird artist working mainly with palette knife and oil paint on canvas.
A keen birder, each work begins with time collecting her own reference images through a long lens and foraging for the native flowers to cast her shadows, before assembling and capturing her compositions in her home studio.
Described in the Canberra Times in 2022; “McIntyre’s use of pattern is beautifully controlled. The artist’s use of an intense light suffuses the overall composition allowing each element to be clearly delineated and hold pictorial autonomy. Light also imbues a sense of McIntyre's capturing a moment in time. The beautifully random compositions filled with freely dispersed floral and other objects have a sense of delicate movement, of the transitoriness of nature and of the innate beauty in that transitoriness.”
Recently moving away from still life and tablescapes towards more naturalistic shadowed landscape and bird portraits her work has shown the influence of chinoiserie and Rococo design, but with an Australian twist; Native birds perched amongst tumbling flora, united by delicate background shadows in a limited palette
Initially self-taught she has since had private tuition and workshops with artists, Ron Reynolds, Richard Claremont, Jenie Fawkner, Nicholas Chen, and international artists, Ed Praybe, Susan Lichtman, Jennifer Poichinski and Catherine Kehoe.
In September 2026 Kirsty held her fourth solo exhibition, “Lifelines” at Grainger gallery in the ACT.
Exhibition History
2026 Solo exhibition Grainger Gallery September 2026; " Life lines,"
May 2026 Brisbane affordable art fair with Martine gallery
2025; Sydney affordable art fair with Martine Gallery.
2025; “Love notes” joint exhibition with Michelle Fogarty at Grainger gallery
2025; “The Birds and the Bees" solo exhibition at The Moree Gallery,
2024; October "Primavera" group exhibition with Grainger Gallery
2024; August; Melbourne Affordable art fair with Grainger Gallery
2024: June; Sydney affordable art fair with Martine gallery
2024 April; "Hope is the thing with Feathers" Solo exhibition at Grainger Gallery, ACT
2024 March "Birds of a feather" group exhibition at The Moree Gallery
2023 "Devour" group exhibition, Grainger gallery
2023 Sydney and Melbourne affordable art fairs with Martine Gallery and Bluethumb
March 2023 "Birds of a Feather" solo exhibition Satch and co gallery
October 2022; Grainger gallery, ACT; "Together Alone" Joint exhibition with artist, Jane Aliendi
August 2022; The Moree Gallery, NSW; "A table Shared" Solo exhibition
February 2022; Grainger gallery, ACT; "A Painted Table" Group exhibition
July 2021; Weswal gallery, NSW; "Bloom" Group exhibiton
May 2021; The Moree Gallery; "An easel by the door" Group exhibition
July 2019; DACE Derinya art show guest artist
March 2019; Roberts McCubbin art show, guest artist
February 2019; Four plus one group show, Victorian artists society, opened by Leslie Harding.
Prizes, awards and publications
2026; Finalist Omnia art prize, finalist The Agency Still life prize. Long listed for the Bizarre Beautiful Raymar painting award.
2025; "Birds" Jury selected international virtual exhibition with the Women in arts network, finalist The Doyles art award, finalist Omnia art prize
2024; Gallery finalist Lethbridge 20000 small scale award, finalist Omnia art prize
2023; Finalist Bluethumb art prize, finalist Major mini art prize, finalist Omnia art prize
2022; Finalist Tacit Gallery still life prize, finalist, Bluethumb art prize, finalist, Kennedy art prize, gallery finalist Lethbridge gallery 20000 small scale art award, finalist Omnia art prize
2021; Finalist Bluethumb art prize, finalist Tacit gallery still life prize, finalist St Kevins art prize, finalist Wyndham art prize
2020; Finalist Bluethumb art prize, finalist Wyndham art prize
2019; Finalist Eutick memorial still life award (EMSLA), finalist, St Kevins art prize
2018; Winner; Best in Show, Warranwood art show
2017; Winner; Special judges award, Whitehorse art show
2015; Second prize, small works section, Canterbury art exhibition
Publications;
On instagram (design files, jealous curator); here
Inside out magazine, February 2022
Practique des arts, 4 page article, April 2022
Read an interview with Forman Art and Framing
See a review of "Together Alone" by Peter Haynes published in the Canberra times 31/10/22; link
A glimpse of a piece featured in the Design files March 2024; link
Kirsty’s work is held in private collections in the USA, UK, Europe and Asia