As a sculptor, Kirk is naturally intrigued by the interaction of space with form. Initially, he eplored how figures seated on inanimate objects affected this relationship. The table ended up being an essential element.

In an untitled relief from the late 1970's, primitive, distorted figures crawl over and crouch under a table, reflecting instinctive human urges for domination and protection.

In A Little Get Together, the table is no longer peopled by figures, but boasts a collection of ghoulish heads that appear to grow directly from its surface.

"I have never looked at art as something decorative as much as I thought of it as representing an idea or as stimulating ideas. I think the big problem for me is to bring esthetics and philosophical representation together so that they function with the mystery that I associate with art."
-Kirk Newman