We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Steve Gibson. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Steve below.
Steve, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
Working was part of my life from an early age. My father and mother both worked and my sister and I were expected to work as well. What ever the job, we were told to do the best we could and use our time wisely.
Work is a form of giving. The more work you do the more you get back. Not just in renumeration but gaining pride in what you’ve accomplished and building the confidence that you can do even more.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My work involves painting and drawing. Recently I’ve been doing this work on paper using gouache and ink and working from home. My studio is 15 minutes away but my wife of 53 years has been ill for many years and my son and I have been taking care of her. Unfortunately, she passed recently.
The work involves a free flow of consciousness as I develop the imagery into a cohesive composition. I have an active imagination that allows me to paint what could be rather than what is.
Alluding to a narrative to me is more interesting than describing what something is. Posing more questions than answers allows the viewer to have an open interpretation that is neither right or wrong. A dialect approach rather than a didactic one.
As an artist of certain age, I feel I can approach my work with a particular freedom that allows me to fail or succeed on my own terms.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Quality 1: Get to work every opportunity you have. Quality 2: Take responsibility for your actions in the studio.
Quality 3: Don’t get hung up on the finished product. Remember it’s a journey with hills and valleys.
As for others , my advice would be dont become a parody of your self. Acknowledge your antecedents and influences. Travel and devour as much of the world you can. Lastly, connect with as many like minded artists you can find.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
Undoubtedly my wife and partner for 55 years. Without her support and encouragement I could have mired myself in teaching high school or something worse. My development as an artist would have stagnated. Unfortunately, she passed this last year.
I now have my oldest son living with me and he’s trying to keep me on track. His encouragement regarding health, creativity and to continue living positively has been a great gift.
As far as essential skills, I am usually focused on the continual search for improvement with my craft by trying not to fall into complacency. I like opening new doors to see what may be behind them.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
Image Credits
Steve Gibson
