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Category Archives: Surrealism

Surrealism is like dreaming while you are awake.

surrealism Canadian painting

I imagine a world where the visually rich language of fairy tales and nursery rhymes extends into adulthood. The traditional nature of this kind storytelling is best presented with visual aids; simple, straightforward text accompanied by fantastic illustrations. In our culture, this is a conventional part of our collective upbringing and experience. These stories often convey lessons, which are coded in familiar symbolic language, and are likely where we first encountered metaphor, allegory and the roots of surrealism.

We carry these simple symbolic codes into adulthood with concepts like wolf equals bad and pig equals good. The narratives I deliver in my paintings utilize this common resource of visual references and cues; however with more mature and timely messages.

The intertwined relationship between language and image has always guided me in constructing my artwork—using visual puns, symbolic themes and literal translations from words into paintings. Often the compositions and assemblies of characters seem to clash in a surreal incongruence, but on some level, they relate by a verbal association or some idiomatic commonality. My aim is to exploit these visual conventions and present something visually arousing with a dose of surrealism, dynamic colour and compelling content.

The level of payoff that the viewer gets from the paintings is relative to their own personal experience, sophistication and history. There may be universal themes revealed, and there may be idiosyncratic dead ends. There is no correct reading of the images other than what the viewer extracts on their own. Even my opinion and the depth of what they mean to me may change from day to day.

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Aimless Meander: Dr. Daydream Prescribes Aggressive Psychotherapy

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 26/01/2022
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 […]
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2022 paintings

2022 Paintings 2022 Return to main gallery 2015 paintings 2022 paintings I imagine a world where the visually rich language of fairy tales and nursery rhymes extends into adulthood. The traditional nature of this kind storytelling is best presented with visual aids; simple, straightforward text accompanied by fantastic illustrations. In our culture, this is a […]

2021 paintings

2021 Paintings 2021 Return to main gallery 2015 paintings 2021 paintings 1. What does your art mean to you? I feel like that is like asking “What does your face mean to you?” It’s like a part of me that I can’t escape, that I’ve accepted, become accustomed to and that identifies me to those […]

Girl Eats Sun: Cover Art for Hope Tala

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 11/11/2020
Album art for Hope Tala's Girl Eats Sun
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St. Germain Gallery presents…

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 06/10/2020
St. Germain Gallery and artist Stephen Gibb   Anyone in the GTA looking for my art may be pleased to know that it may be closer than you think. I have been working with the St. Germain Gallery at 3358 Yonge St. in Toronto since May 2018 and they have a number of my paintings […]
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Pop Surrealism Art, pandemic, plague and Covid-19?

How does Pop Surrealism Art deal with Covid-19? The long history of art relating to plague can be traced from medieval times and the likes of Hieronymus Bosch to the irreverent doodling of pop surrealism art After resisting the sort of automatic response that the year 2020 prompted—mainly as a result of the pandemic crisis […]

Contemporary Surrealism…

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 23/06/2020
Contemporary Surrealism in today’s world Maybe it’s not even fair to call what I do Contemporary Surrealism or even Surreal Art. The presentation may make the viewer recall surrealism from their scant art history lessons in high school but the surreal art of scholarly examination relates to something from long ago and far away—produced under […]
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Canadian Pop Surrealism Art of Stephen Gibb

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 07/05/2020
Canadian Pop Surrealism Art — The Allegory of the Baked Potato Apocalypse The painting personifies potatoes and examines them in their natural “potato environment” to reveal subtle aspects of human nature and behaviour in a fun and absurdly roundabout way. Starting at the top, the central image of the baked potato radiates like some kind […]
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Canadian painter Stephen Gibb makes simple observation

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 20/03/2020
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 […]
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Surrealism famous for stimulating creativity

By Stephen Gibb | Published: 06/03/2020
Surrealism Famous For Stimulating Creativity Creativity sometimes just comes to you and you can only surmise in hindsight as to the possible origins. Where does a cherry-chocolate god figure come from? It’s funny, bizarre, and unexpected but may be more logical than you think. The vengeful god in the clouds is nothing new and most […]
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