Robert Gibbs

My desire to create is to give physical expression to my imagination and has been a lifelong passion. My primary intention as an artist is to create works that evoke an awareness of the transcendent and to express something of the mystery and wonder that envelopes us. Appreciating art and making art have given me much joy that I wish to share.

I find inspiration in many things, from Nature to the visions of the inner eye. My creative process is a balance between intuition and technique and I remain open to change and transformation until the unique presence or inner radiance within each painting is revealed.

I have a life-long reverence for world cultures, particularly indigenous cultures that have maintained a strong spiritual connection with their environment. My interest in a diversity of peoples, their experience, and practices has affected my art in different ways through the years. Influenced by the sand paintings of the Navajo and Tibetan Buddhist mandalas, I began incorporating sand into my work. It enhances the tactile presence of the work and creates a subtle interplay of light and shadow. Sand is symbolic to me personally for its various associations with healing rituals and meditation, the desert, and the ocean.

I have no specific message to convey, but see art as a mirror reflecting the soul. I offer each painting as an invitation to discovery, wherein each viewer is encouraged to find truth in their own experience.
My paintings might be considered meditations, creative prayers, or offerings of peace. The devotion and attention given to each creation may be experienced in the open heart of the viewer.

Virginia Commonwealth University

Selected Group and One Person Exhibitions:
2013 "Cheers to Art," Lewis Ginter Botanical
Garden, Richmond, Va
2011 1st place, Annual Undiscovered Artists, The
Sara D. November Art Gallery, Weinstein
Jewish Community Center, Richmond, Va
(Juried)
2011 Artworks, Richmond, Va (Juried)
2011 Petersburg Regional Art Center, Petersburg,
Va (Juried)
2010 Museum of Florida Art, Deland, Va (Juried)
2010 Florida Biennial V, Museum of Florida Art,
Deland, Fl (Juried)
2008-2010 James Harper Fine Arts Gallery,
Ormond Beach, Fl
2007-2008 508 Gallery, Ormond Beach, Fl
2003-2004 Gallery by the Sea, Ormond Beach, Fl
2003 "The Edge of Vision," Stone Soup Gallery, Key
West, Florida
2003 Tennessee Williams Fine Arts Center, Key
West, Fl. sponsored in part by The
Anne McKee Artist’s Fund, The Florida Keys
Council of the Arts, The State of Florida,
Dept. of State, Division of Cultural Affairs,
The Florida Arts Council, and The National
Endowment for the Arts (Juried)
2003 Art In Public Places, Key West International
Airport, Key West, Florida. Sponsored by the
Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Monroe
County Board of County Commissioners and
Key West International Airport (Juried)
2003 "Ars Erotica," Woodenhead Gallery, Key
West, Florida
2002 Art In Public Places, Key West International
Airport, Key West, Florida. Sponsored by the
Florida Keys Council of the Arts, Monroe
County Board of County Commissioners and
Key West International Airport (Juried)