Dealing with themes like failure, self-deprecation, and the human condition, Kirk Hayes' heartbreaking paintings offer a glimpse into the artist's inner life.

On the surface his compositions appear to be collages of torn paper, corrugated cardboard, yellowing masking tape, or scraps of plywood, however these illusory scenes are created by the artist's hand through a self-taught process of using oil paint to imitate collage - a continuation of sorts of the legacy of trompe l'oeil.

Kirk Hayes is an American artist born in 1958, Fort Worth, Texas. Currently based in Fort Worth, Texas.