ArtSpace at Griffith Regional Theatre is preparing to present its next exhibition – 'Visual Feasts' by local artist and visual arts teacher Josephine Gibbs. Visual Feasts will be Ms Gibbs' first solo exhibition in the Riverina, which she now calls home.
Ms Gibbs said this is an exhibition of painting and drawing showcasing the inspiration of the arid beauty and pastoral endeavours of our region.
"The sky is vast, the landscape is vibrant with colour and the seasons govern the passage of the years here in the Riverina," she said.
Born in the Philippines, Jo migrated to Australia in 1989 when she was 17 years old. After completing formal visual art studies at Meadowbank and Liverpool TAFE colleges, she went home to the Philippines in the mid-90s. Unfortunately, the Philippine provincial national highway project ripped through her Boholano house and land and she returned to Australia heartbroken but she felt compensated in having the valuable opportunity to paint and draw Filipino life and landscapes.
On her return to Australia, she worked with the Lavender Bay Royal Art Society North Sydney where she was coordinated life-drawing classes. After the birth of her son, she completed a double degree at the University at the New South Wales studying Design and Education. After a number of teaching roles and post graduate studies, Jo Gibbs and her family moved to Barellan, where she teaches at the Central School.
Griffith Regional Art Gallery Coordinator, Ray Wholohan said Jo is a disciplined artist and passionate advocate of the arts in our district and beyond.
"Although busy during the school term teaching, Jo dedicates much of the summer holidays to painting and drawing. In this body of work she has captured the atmospheric ambiance of the Riverina in high summer, with the dramatic light contrasts and sense of both gentle fertility and heat worn ruggedness," Mr Wholohan said.
"In addition to atmospheric landscapes, Jo is skilled at composing inventive, design-led still-life paintings that hark back to the Fauvists and other modern masters who build intriguing worlds in colour and shape."
Ms Gibbs said "My paintings are quickly painted to put down the main shapes and they suggest, not dictate the forms decisively, to express 'Less is More'. The aim is not to be too precious and just see if it could work as a composition and it has effortlessly."
This expressive formal austerity and colourful spontaneity is what she often teaches to her students of all ages.
Visit the 'Visual Feasts' exhibition at Griffith Regional Theatre's ArtSpace from Monday 8 April. An opening event for this exhibition will be at 6pm on Saturday 13 April. All are welcome to attend.
