Canadian Artist Stephen Gibb breaks down the creative process
Psychopathology of Wants and Needs – Pop surrealism painting by Canadian Artist Stephen Gibb, 36″ x 24″, oil on panel, 2022
This painting started off a few light years away from where it ended up. The original concept was to do something around the theme of “bliss”, examining the things that bring us to this occasionally visited state of mind.
I envisioned a head absorbing the things around it, which would have been things that evoke the state of bliss in people. The head became a skull, full of holes because it just seemed like a cool idea. I think sometimes the things that people seek to attain their blissful state can also be deadly and I liked the “ultimate conclusion” commentary by including the skull, acknowledging it as the final destination of bliss and of life.
Everything I came up with just seemed lame after that. So, I thought I’d explore the foundations of why we seek bliss. It occurred to me that maybe there was something in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that could give some insight into the concept.
This is where I abandoned the whole bliss theme.
Instead, I focused on representations of “needs” in my typical left-field approach, bubblegum surrealism style. A trivialized representation food became a pie, which I doubled back on, making the pie in the act of replicating himself…rolling out some dough for a crust. Reproduction is on the lower level on Maslow’s hierarchy and is represented by the pie and the gooey union of the two lolly pops, who produce offspring at the point of their sticky embrace. The progeny then takes an ironic bite out of the parent in an act of defiance and rebellion — the function of a teenager. At the far right a figure looks at his fingers as they produce offspring, which appear to just be fodder for the crow standing nearby.
The figure on the far right also represents clothing, shelter, property, security, which are lower, basic requirements according to Maslow.
The sleeping potato symbolizes, sleep, air and water — also basic needs.
As we move upward the needs become more abstract and less material. The two lollies could represent love, intimacy, family and connection, whereas the green lolly’s floating-away crown touches on the area Maslow characterized as “esteem”, the realm of status, recognition and self-esteem, things I think our society puts too much stock in. As well we put absurd value on wants versus needs and a title was suggested to me — The Psychopathology of Need and Wants.
At the right side of the mountain is Sisyphus as an ape, pushing a large brain up the incline, symbolizing evolution, strength and the struggle to raise the “required needs” to the pinnacle of the hierarchy, which is represented by the pyramid man at the top, reaching out to embrace everything in his “blissful” state of self-actualization. - Artist Stephen Gibb, Nov., 2022
Psychopathology of Wants and Needs
A paintingby pop surrealism artist Stephen Gibb
Painting by Stephen Gibb
Artist: Stephen Gibb, oil on wood panel, 3”6 x 24”, 2022
Artist Stephen Gibb: The non-linear life of a concept
Canadian Artist Stephen Gibb breaks down the creative process
Psychopathology of Wants and Needs – Pop surrealism painting by Canadian Artist Stephen Gibb, 36″ x 24″, oil on panel, 2022
This painting started off a few light years away from where it ended up. The original concept was to do something around the theme of “bliss”, examining the things that bring us to this occasionally visited state of mind.
I envisioned a head absorbing the things around it, which would have been things that evoke the state of bliss in people. The head became a skull, full of holes because it just seemed like a cool idea. I think sometimes the things that people seek to attain their blissful state can also be deadly and I liked the “ultimate conclusion” commentary by including the skull, acknowledging it as the final destination of bliss and of life.
Everything I came up with just seemed lame after that. So, I thought I’d explore the foundations of why we seek bliss. It occurred to me that maybe there was something in Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that could give some insight into the concept.
This is where I abandoned the whole bliss theme.
Instead, I focused on representations of “needs” in my typical left-field approach, bubblegum surrealism style. A trivialized representation food became a pie, which I doubled back on, making the pie in the act of replicating himself…rolling out some dough for a crust. Reproduction is on the lower level on Maslow’s hierarchy and is represented by the pie and the gooey union of the two lolly pops, who produce offspring at the point of their sticky embrace. The progeny then takes an ironic bite out of the parent in an act of defiance and rebellion — the function of a teenager. At the far right a figure looks at his fingers as they produce offspring, which appear to just be fodder for the crow standing nearby.
The figure on the far right also represents clothing, shelter, property, security, which are lower, basic requirements according to Maslow.
The sleeping potato symbolizes, sleep, air and water — also basic needs.
As we move upward the needs become more abstract and less material. The two lollies could represent love, intimacy, family and connection, whereas the green lolly’s floating-away crown touches on the area Maslow characterized as “esteem”, the realm of status, recognition and self-esteem, things I think our society puts too much stock in. As well we put absurd value on wants versus needs and a title was suggested to me — The Psychopathology of Need and Wants.
At the right side of the mountain is Sisyphus as an ape, pushing a large brain up the incline, symbolizing evolution, strength and the struggle to raise the “required needs” to the pinnacle of the hierarchy, which is represented by the pyramid man at the top, reaching out to embrace everything in his “blissful” state of self-actualization. - Artist Stephen Gibb, Nov., 2022
Psychopathology of Wants and Needs
A painting by pop surrealism artist Stephen Gibb
Painting by Stephen Gibb
Artist: Stephen Gibb, oil on wood panel, 3”6 x 24”, 2022
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