Stephen Gibb » Canadian Artist

Over the years, Stuart Brand, co-founder and editor of the Whole Earth Catalog has founded several organizations, of which the Long Now Foundation has significant relevance to my project. The Long Now Foundation aims to promote “slower/better” thinking as a counterpoint to what it views as today’s “faster/cheaper” mindset.

Adopting a similar “slower is better” attitude, I undertook a career-long ambition in 2023 to create an artwork that demands to be approached slowly and deliberately, in a quiet, contemplative frame of mind. With the idea of inviting the viewer to devote a considerably longer amount of time engaged with the painting than our at-a-glance culture is used to, I’m challenging one of the very cornerstones of our on-demand, drive-thru, overnight-delivery, instant-gratification society. Our need for speed may be flawed.

In my art practice, it is in these quiet, contemplative moments that the most fertile inspiration comes from. Getting there is the first step — far removed from the doom scroll of the mobile phone, the opinion-as-truth news media and the endless stream of social media noise. I was struck by an exhibit I had several years ago, how most people just breezed by, maybe politely pausing for a few seconds at each painting, yet others would stand for 15 minutes and immerse themselves into the artwork. Which begs the question: What was the connection they made that the others didn’t?

Were they able to view the art in a quiet state, already removed from the impulse and pull of their conditioning, governed by the perpetual quest of “what’s next”? When we live in a culture that constantly inundates us with information from the outside, how can we even take time to process it, let alone access our own information that is generated from the inside? My painting aims to create a situation where the viewer can reconnect with that inner self and refamiliarize themselves with the beauty of their own imagination.

The second motivation was to create a painting so compelling that it couldn’t be ignored. The irony is not lost on me — taking on such an ego-centric project, which is centred thematically on the ego seems a bit lofty and pretentious but is one supported by neuroscience. Brain scans of people confronting an overwhelming or confusing image light up like fireworks, their minds “jumpstarted” as they try to make sense of what they see. Entering this Gamma wave state of mind is where peak concentration and optimal information processing takes place. Human nature fundamentally compels us to extract meaning from things that confound us, especially when the message is not readily apparent or spoon-fed. The scale and complexity of the painting at the very least demands a more than cursory glance from even the most jaded of art connoisseurs.

Take an Hour and Contemplate Your Ego

Employing my standard approach to painting, which is often referred to as Pop Surrealism Lowbrow the title of the artwork is also the subtitle of the proposed exhibit — The Gaze of the Long Now: Take an Hour and Contemplate Your Ego.

Using the “ego” as the anchor for what the content of the painting examines, I employ an allegorical and symbolist approach of connecting images to convey the concepts chosen for the subject. Not always apparent, the images have a bifurcating effect, leading the viewers down their own pathways and rabbit holes of exploration and comprehension. Just like an “apple” means something different to every person — you may think of computers, the Beatles, William Tell, Snow White, grandma’s pies, etc. — so is the power of any image. Allowing yourself to follow those associations and linkages in your own self-discovery, is the real connecting force and magic of art.

The ego is represented in a raw psychological form as understood in my own naïve way, viewed through many facets of pop culture and aspects of the human experience. The broad concepts are encrypted in imagery that transforms the figurative into the literal.

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Pop Surrealism Lowbrow Painting Explores the Ego

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Art Comp 2023 – Stephen Gibb, “Essence of Hope and Despair”

Stephen Gibb — Tue, 30 May 2023 18:00:36 +0000

Art Comp 2023 — Show your Support!

“Essence of Hope and Despair” — Stephen Gibb, oil on panel, 2021

This painting is 1 of 100 artworks vying for the ART COMP 2023 prize. I am looking for support from friends and followers. Please consider voting for my painting today! To vote for this work visit the online voting site (https://artcomp.awardsplatform.com/) or visit Art Comp 2023 in person at 100 Kellogg Lane in London ON

Stephen Gibb at the Art Comp 2023 opening night event

Essence of Hope and Despair, 36″ x 24″, oil on panel by Stephen Gibb, 2021

CLICK TO VOTE!

About the painting:

Tapping into the realm of psychology, the surface of water is the threshold between the air and the depths but also represents levels of consciousness and awareness. The skull has penetrated the surface and is entering the murky depths where unseen and unknown things dwell. The vicious-looking fish lurks about in a threatening manner…the psychoanalytic submarine searches for meaning, while a submerged rock mound echoes the strongholds that pierce the surface like island totems — once a refuge but now a drowned, mysterious relic.

Hope takes the shape of the exploding yellow head on the far left. Visions of colourful delights flow out of his head, candies and flowers support a childhood source of comfort in the shape of a teddy bear. But there is a sinister side to hope, perhaps when hope becomes delusional. The teddy bear is actually coming apart and his insides (his essence) is being devoured by two other figures.

Despair is the eggman on the far right. Lost in his anguish, his head leaks the essence that once held him together, his hope of evolving from egg state to bird is no more. The green figure above him echoes his emotional state and dark clouds brew in the background with foreboding menace.

The spaceman is the explorer, surveying the mayhem, like an agent of psychoanalysis assessing the situation, from the safety of his self-contained suit.

Frank Zappa once said, “Writing about music is like dancing about architecture”. I feel the same way about writing about art. Art is its own language with only awkward translations available. I can repeat the notions that crossed my mind when creating the painting, but most of that would be irrelevant. I could deconstruct the process employed while producing the piece but that would only be an abstraction of a bunch of arbitrary steps. I could agonize over all the decisions that went into the painting but that would be like describing all the bolts that go into the making of an automobile. The composition tends towards a harmonious sense of balance — a measuring out of points of interest, detail and colour but it reveals nothing significant.

Essence of Hope and Despair

Painting in Art Comp 2023 competition

A painting by pop surrealist Stephen Gibb

Stephen Gibb

, oil

wood panel

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2023 Paintings

Stephen Gibb — Wed, 04 Jan 2023 18:16:55 +0000

2023 Paintings

2023

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2023 paintings

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Index of paintings by Stephen Gibb

2023 paintings

What is painting and why do I paint

To understand the object as a symbol the viewer must disengage from the object and penetrate beyond its visual representation to extract its significance from the volumes of connotation held within. To say a picture is worth a thousand words is to impose a limitation on its potential.

What my paintings offer is a chance for the viewer to construct their own narrative based on the connotations and associations they may derive from the imagery, regardless of my motivations for painting it.

Understand, there are no dugs involved and no psychedelic experimentation. Along with my natural neurological makeup, I have conditioned my mind to think in a way that allows bizarre connections and associations to combine with seemingly disparate objects — all coming together with meaning and signification.

Stephen Gibb lives and works in southern Ontario, Canada. He earned a B.F.A. in visual arts from the University of Windsor and is currently represented by the St. Germain gallery in Toronto. Among the cities he has exhibited in are San Diego, Sacramento, and Hollywood— the hotbed of California’s Lowbrow and Pop Surrealism community. His work is collected around the globe and has gained widening interest since working on the album art for hip hop artist Trippie Redd.

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Artist Stephen Gibb: The non-linear life of a concept

Stephen Gibb — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 20:14:41 +0000

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 of food (sustenance) became a pie, which I doubled back on, posing 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 normal function of a teenager (LOL). 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 circle of life).

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, in spite of the absurdity of the situation.

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, radiating 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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Fool’s Paradise Lost – pop surrealism painting meets Milton

Stephen Gibb — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 20:53:31 +0000

Pop Surrealism Painting

Fool’s Paradise Lost – Pop surrealism painting by Stephen Gibb, 36″ x 24″, oil on panel, 2022

The idea of “loss” and “the Fool” often percolate up in my work. The nature of loss is a pretty straight-forward concept — one that everyone can relate to. The Fool on the other hand is a concept that we impulsively project onto the “other” and avoid associating it with “the self”.

The actual truth is we all do foolish things, have foolish thoughts put value on meaningless things. In essence, we reject the fool, but recognise the Fool in ourselves — unless living in a delusional world of denial.

My portrayal of the Fool is a stereotype. A goofy innocent, oblivious of the dire nature of his situation, grasping in a futile attempt to preserve things he values — things that are empty and hollow. He wears the Dunce cap, just to formally label him in case there is any confusion in an attempt to make the figurative into the literal.

The Fool longs for love, acceptance, power, and wealth, but all these things are in eminent peril or were mere illusion to start with. His soul mate is a candy apple headed doll, which brings the “Paradise Lost” component of the title into the painting. In John Milton’s epic poem, the subject of Adam and Eve being tempted by Satan and their expulsion from “paradise” is prominently explored. In the painting, the doll-wife figure is the forbidden fruit incarnate. She has already been partaken of, so the sin has been committed and she is now just evidence of the Fool’s guilt.

In his other hand is a mock sceptre, a symbol of power but a powerless candy substitute. Inside is a crown which is bait for the Fool’s ego, an aspiration to fulfil his longing for prestige and power. Candy is a frivolous and pleasure centred treat. It echoes his pointless, pleasure driven desire for elevating his position. Junk food for his empty soul.

An equally empty and ephemeral balloon ironically expresses his disdain of the fool as he passes overhead. The balloon’s existence is always in peril and its imminent demise foreshadows the impending doom of the Fool.

The threats that impinge on the Fool come from above and below. Overhead a ball of fire from the heavens hurtles gleefully toward the Fool, while below a resourceful devil claws away at the foundation supporting the completely oblivious Fool. Oblivion being a key condition of a foolish and irresponsible outlook on life.

An apparition of a god-like entity looms in the clouds, overseeing the sins of the Fool. If God does not play with dice, at least he plays games with the Fool. The landscape is a crumbling board game with player markers making their way through their existence. Above, a laughing die delights in the scene below, his contribution of chance outcomes determines the fate of the players.

Below the die a daring paper doll attempts to eat fire in an absurd act of self-destruction. This could parallel any self-destructive and foolish behaviour that we as humans engage in for whatever reason, ultimately ending our chance at Paradise. The paper doll sits on a slowly draining snow globe, a souvenir of paradise in decay, reinforcing the theme of this Pop Surrealism painting. A crumbling column opposite also prepares to topple, its heyday long past.

To add to the sense that things are deeply wrong, a sheep plays tug-of-war with a spear of broccoli over a piece of meat. The incongruent behaviour of both characters (one a vegetable, the other a vegetarian) may be a way of me commenting on the topsy-turvy world we live in.

To the right side of the painting a thuggish frog wields a club threateningly at the Fool. It appears he has already smashed his way into the Fool’s safe as his fortune trickles away. A fool and his money…

A slice of mouldy bread, which is also jargon for money, angrily pushes a clock (time) towards the edge of the cliff. In essence the clock foretells that the Fool’s time is up and as the die (death) falls off the edge, the game is over…

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Aimless Meander: Dr. Daydream Prescribes Aggressive Psychotherapy

Stephen Gibb — Wed, 26 Jan 2022 18:59:15 +0000

What Goes On (In My Mind)…aimless meander

The Aimless Meander: The creative process involved in composing Dr. Daydream Prescribes Aggressive Psychotherapy

Meditating on the concept of daydreaming conjures all kinds of stereotypes, mostly those perpetuated by pop culture and the associated canon of symbols established by TV, music, movies, and comics. A reclined child staring into the clouds and seeing shapes appear is the standard cliche, which I wanted to avoid.

Dr. Daydream Prescribes Aggressive Psychotherapy — Stephen Gibb, 36″ x 24″, oil on panel, 2022

When I decided to explore the concept of daydreams for a painting I began with the idea of a figure in a daydream state, emersed physically, into the stuff that daydreams are made of.
My initial figure took shape as an old man, eyes closed, lost in his imagination, represented by an eyeball floating in liquid, where his brain should have been.

Line work for the painting “Dr. Daydream Prescribes Aggressive Psychotherapy” by Stephen Gibb, 2002

Dr. Daydream

I christened him Dr. Daydream and I set about imagining his world. I envisioned a guide leading Dr. Daydream through his dream, which could be none other than his own brain. Astride his brain a jovial Humpty Dumpty takes his hand to help him navigate the bizarre landscape. Humpty steers the brain but is oblivious of his duty since he looks backwards instead of at the road ahead. This represents the meandering uncertainty of where a daydream will lead us. The journey is an adventure without destination.

From Dark to Light

I wanted Dr. Daydream moving away from the darkness and into the bright future ahead. This is kind of illustrating an escapist view of daydreaming. Rather than dealing with the foreboding darkness, his attention is directed away at the bright colours and the large happy face that dominates the right side above him. Mr. Moonlight looks down with sorrowful eyes as the Doctor moves away from the darkness of the woods and wilderness behind him.

Time Doesn’t Fly, it Floats Away

Dr. Daydream was wearing a wristwatch, but it has detached and is floating away. In a dream state, time has no domain over the dreamer…

Title Just Isn’t Cutting it

Things from here out started to get more and more associative and detached from the pure notion of daydreaming. I decided to expand the title to encompass the broadening scope of the content. Dr. Daydream Prescribes Aggressive Psychotherapy works better, and now adds more width for tangential exploration. The vast realm of psychology can now be conjured, and my diversions of whimsy can be excused away.

Walking is A Time-Space Activity

Dr. Daydream steps forward and his most recent footstep is ghosted by a bare foot stepping in sticky goo. My thought here was to represent a movement through time and the bare, primitive foot being a step back in evolution, contrasted with the present-time foot.

Protective Headgear Recommended for All

I like to insert interlocutors into the foreground of my paintings—seemingly detached observers helping the viewer link with the overwhelming weirdness going on behind. Enter Helmet Head.
Helmet Head is more concerned with the wondrous object in his grasp but helps add to the general mystery of the overall image.

Idea Thief

OK, sometimes I rehash an idea that I’ve used before and by that action, I become my own idea thief. Helmet Head has a socket in his dome, from which a slimy creep removes a lightbulb. Symbolism borrowed from cartoons and comics, probably dating back to Edison. I said I wanted to avoid symbolic cliches, but here is an exception.

A Phallic Rocket Becomes a Knife

In rough sketches I positioned a rocket in the sky above the good Doctor’s head, leaving a trail that swirled around his head, between his legs and to its beginnings, somewhere over and beyond the trees. As things progressed in the sketch, I decided to turn the rocket into a knife, a more aggressive phallus, and have it sail between his legs in a psychosexual trajectory but embed it into his brain. I’ll let you do your own psychoanalysis of this. A certain F word may help.

The Red Balloon

Another symbol of floating along…the balloon is a reference to the aimless meander of daydreaming. In this case the balloon drifts through the air and makes it impossible for a caretaker to keep Dr. Daydream’s head corked. His essence is released in a psychedelic burst of colour…setting the stage for the multicoloured right-hand side of the painting.

Building Out the Composition with Unencumbered Impulses

The basic image was composed pretty much as it was chronologically described above. At this point there was some need for smaller details and compositional elements to be added for balance and interest. The Brain crawls along the ground but is distracted by a skull with the cap removed and examines the contents as he pours it out. This could easily represent psychotherapy. The symbol for the Greek letter Psi is added to the knife, which is also widely understood as a symbol for psychology. Clouds form from stars and hearts in a cheesy reference to seeing shapes (Pareidolia) where they don’t really exist. A spaceship bears witness to the events below, representing a naïve or innocent bystander. Dr. Daydream’s left hand is grounded by a tap root, symbolizing the roots of everything with nature. He also wears an interesting signet ring of no real importance but will keep viewers challenging themselves to formulate a meaning. Human nature demands meaning from the things in its environment, however, there is no direct line to interpreting the painting “correctly”. Some symbolism may come easily to the viewer and the meaning may be more commonly held than others. The true joy is identifying things through your own idiosyncratic filters and biases and deriving your own meaning. My paintings give you permission to explore yourself by mulling over the images.

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