Seventeen years ago he made the break to full time sculpture, at first carving stone, but then he discovered steel. This is the medium he now works exclusively in, sometimes mild but increasingly stainless.
The work he produces is mainly figurative and classically based, dealing with both the body and the face, some works are fragmented like objects from archeological sites. One of the techniques that he employs in many of his sculptures is the use of small steel plates, manipulated and welded together, building up the form. This enables him to produce realistic, detailed and often sensuous forms, using the harsh, industrial method of welding steel.
Rick Kirby continues to show in galleries and sculpture gardens, although the main body of his work is out in the public domain, town centers, hospitals, new build sites etc. These public commissions, numbering some 30 in the last 15 years, are on permanent display all over the country, from Hastings in the South and St. Thomas' Hospital in London, to Glasgow in the North.