Obligatory Artist's Statement

I like to offer the viewer a disruption, or a mental speed-bump to take them out of themselves for a moment and allow them to re-interpret or re-examine their notions on the subjects engaged.

By presenting images in a formal painting style which is then infused with contemporary cultural cues and themes I feel I can involve the viewer in a familiar experience while subtly directing them into uncharted territory. The object - the painting - becomes more than an aesthetic object but a vehicle of transcendence as the subject and object begin a two-way dialogue inside the viewers mind.

As the viewer puzzles over the content and mental sleight-of-hand I gently grab their wallets and push them into the abyss...

Stephen Gibb, 2005