My aunt, Barbara Kirk, who has died aged 92, was active as an artist for most of her life. Her painterly sensibility was brought to bear on her many interests, including architecture, history, literature, landscape and horticulture.
She was born Barbara Traill in Ottery St Mary, Devon. Her father, Ralph, was a GP and her mother, Gladys (nee Lace), ran the dispensary from their home and was a magistrate for many years.
Barbara, who had two younger siblings, Anthony and Mavis, was 16 when the second world war broke out. Due to her exceptional drawing talent, she was recruited from Sherborne school in Dorset to Cowbridge House in Malmesbury, the top secret “shadow factory” where the radio manufacturer Ekco developed radar equipment for the RAF.
As draughtsman’s tracer, Barbara drew up blueprints for the engineers. She loved the work, long bike rides in the Wiltshire countryside and political discussions late into the night. She joined the Communist party, reflecting a lifelong concern for social justice.
After the war Barbara took up her place at Central School of Art in London, where the artist and teacher Bernard Meninsky predicted a professional art career for her. Barbara was inspired particularly by Matisse and Picasso, but was open to everything. She had a wonderful eye and an extraordinary ability to paint from life.
On leaving art college, Barbara worked as a stage and costume designer for the Unity theatre in London, but marriage in 1950 to the Cambridge classicist Geoffrey Kirk altered the course of her life.
Barbara travelled with Geoffrey to Yale and Berkeley (despite initially being refused a US visa because of her Communist leanings). She also joined in with his passion for sailing – not always willingly – and volunteered to be Geoffrey’s crew in Norfolk and in the Mediterranean.
She painted throughout but, despite her abundant talent, a lack of ego meant that Barbara did not seek public recognition, preferring to discuss her work with close friends and fellow artists, including her sister, Mavis, the sculptor Daphne Henrion and collagist Nell Hutton, instead of exhibiting.
In her 50s, after her divorce, Barbara worked at Cambridge University library, was an active member of the Labour party, gave guided tours of Cambridge colleges and gardened avidly. She revived her interest in sport – she had been captain of the lacrosse team at Sherborne – and took great pleasure again in playing tennis, at which she had also excelled. She painted into her 80s until her eyesight deteriorated. Barbara had many close friends, her pealing laughter making her a great companion.
Barbara is survived by her daughter, Lydia, a stonemason, her sister, Mavis, three nephews and me. Anthony died in 2004.
