Froze—by Canadian painter Stephen Gibb, 36″ x 36″, oil on panel, 2020

FROZE by Canadian painter Stephen Gibb

The balance between survival and our relation with the environment is a give and take negotiation at its simplest state. Depletion, plunder and by-products that result from our “processing” of resources are ways in which we impact the equilibrium. The responsible thing to do is minimized the negative legacy in favour of a renewable, sustainable outcome. Yet humans seem more adept at exploitation for greed and profit and waste is an inconvenient factor in the equation.
The emissions and pollution, the sewage and trash management of large cities is evidence of our excesses and ignorance. These were considerations that guided my painting “Froze”.

Reducing the composition to four basic characters, I focussed on the mood and the atmosphere of the painting more than a reliance on the narrative chaos that I typically rely on in my work. The frozen world above is giving way to the melting world below as the two central figures huddle for warmth and sustenance in a situation that is ironically contributing to their imminent peril. Just as human society has created the system of resource exploitation that is contributing to global warming and climate change, so do the central figures in the painting. The catch-22 created by the need for warmth for survival is also melting the ice, hastening their demise, as the voracious devil-like figure waits for his dinner below.

The fragile balance of life is often illuminated by taking an alternate perspective, and just as often it is obscured by ambiguity.

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