Firkins taught himself to draw by relentlessly sketching in restaurants, truck stops, bus stops, train stations, roadsides and fields, wherever something inspired him. Though he had no formal or institutional art training, he sensed the importance of apprenticing himself as a draftsman to build the foundation of his art. To this end, he trained his hand and eye by sketching only with a Waterman fountain pen for five years before ever picking up a paint brush.

At the core of his work, drawing to him is the grammar of visual art. Without it, the language never gets beyond a stage of unconnected words
and meaningless messages.

The drawings in the show "Cirque" were done, as with much of his work, on the spot, in this case behind the scenes and under the big top of
the Royal Hanneford Circus.