Kirsty Maclennan, Biography

A bold and versatile artist, Kirsty Maclennan unapologetically embraces her dynamic creativity and curiosity. Unfettered by a single medium or style, Kirsty freely explores and interprets the world around her through a deliberate and carefully considered array of lenses, each more captivating than the last. Challenging assumptions and unveiling new truths and perspectives, her work is a reflection of her own modern exploration.

Born and raised in Gatehead, Kirsty grew up immersed in the North East’s diverse creative culture. It therefore comes as no surprise that this unique environment, shaped by its proud industrial past and dynamic contemporary present, has had a great influence on her work. “Whatever I’m working on, I always find myself drawn to home and the people that surrounded me growing up. There is a very distinct ambience to the North East; it’s earthy and warm and rough around the edges. I’m very proud to come from a place like that.”

Kirsty considers herself a multidisciplinary artist, channelling her creativity into a range of often intersecting mediums including painting, illustration and writing. A self-taught artist, Kirsty has received no formal training. Instead, she prefers to trust her own eye and instincts, avoiding the direct influence of others to remain true to her own perspective and vision.

Today, Kirsty lives and works in York, where she creates from her home studio. Her illustrations have been published in collector’s editions of Brontë classics and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In 2024, one of her paintings was selected from over 1,400 submissions to be shown at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art’s Open Submission. In the same year, her illustrations for Dracula were selected for the Pannett Art Gallery’s exhibition, ‘The Art of Illustration’. The collection is titled ‘God’s Women, Good Men and Monsters’ and went on to be exhibited in London at the Crypt Gallery, St Pancras in early 2025. The show will end its run this April at York Fine Arts, where the original illustrations will be available to purchase for the very first time.

1 available artwork by Kirsty Maclennan