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Biography
At the age of nineteen he went to study in Italy and learned the techniques of fresco painting. Here he also discovered the art of Madonnari or street painting. He began to create chalk drawing or street painting pieces as a Madonnaro in Florence. After a while Michael Kirby began to do more original pavement art in larger scales and began to be noticed by more than just tourists of Florence and picked up many jobs as a muralist in Tuscany. Eventually Mr. Kirby moved to Rome and would spend the next 6 years there working in a studio and street painting for donations left in his baskets around Italy. What drew people to Kirby's work was the fact at the time he was working and traveling throught out Europe in his early 20's and was a clear master in the art form which had never been accomplished before. While in Italy Mr. Kirby worked for various clients as well which included Versace, Culpe Di Fulmine, Venezia Giovane, Fiorentina, and others. As a street painter, Michael Kirby has won various competitions and been featured in numerous festivals and galleries across the world. Today Mr. Kirby is considered to be if not the best street painter in the world for his creativity and innovation. He has worked in more cities than any other artist in the world. He has worked in over 200 cities including Rome, Paris, London, Berlin, New York, Mexico City, Guadalajara, San Francisco, Caracas, Cartagena, and many more. To this day he is still traveling and working in more cities every year.
In the year 2002, Michael Kirby returned to the city of his birth to create a new studio using the techniques he has learned abroad. Since his return, Mr. Kirby has been selected to be apart of various exhibits and commissions. He has also been interviewed for numerous newspapers, magazines, tv programs, and news reports. Carter Ratcliff writes, "Kirby turns this image of an imaginary Baltimore into an emblem of an unrealized American ideal, in hope that his art can contribute to its realization." Cara Seitchek writes "(Kirby) hides symbols and ideas that delight the viewer as they are drawn into the image………… his paintings capture the vibrancy and energy of Mexican culture……….within his paintings, he captures elements of another culture, takes them out of context, and transfers them into a new medium, making the image accessible to a larger audience." Michael Kirby's latest studio is called "Murals of Baltimore." Mr. Kirby and Murals of Baltimore travels across the country and the world creating frescos, Keim murals, Marouflage, Mosaics, Street Paintings, Pavement Art, Chalk Drawings, 3D Street Paintings, 3D Pavement Art and other forms of public art. To see a client list please click on the link above for a list of the various organizations that have commissioned Michael Kirby. 
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Michael William Kirby was born in the city of Baltimore in the year 1975. At an early age he began to paint scenes from life and took an interest in mural painting or large scale painting.
After working and studying in Europe as a muralist, Mr. Kirby wanted to learn more modern mural techniques and moved to Mexico. During these studies he was commissioned to do various murals for private and public buildings through out Mexico. Eventually Mr. Kirby started his own studio in Guadalajara based on his experience in Italy. While in Mexico Mr. Kirby introduced street painting to the Mexican public for the first time 1998. He also had the opportunity to travel and create numerous pavement art pieces in South America in the countries of Venezuela, Colombia, and Equador in 2000.