Artspace Announces Its Next Vivid Exhibition, Visual Feasts By Josephine Gibbs

Griffith Regional Theatre’s ArtSpace prepares to present “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 solo exhibition was one 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,” Ms Gibbs 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 returned to the Philippines in the mid-90s.

Unfortunately, the Philippine provincial national highway project ripped through her Boholo house and land and she returned to Australia heartbroken but felt compensated with 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 coordinated life-drawing classes.

After the birth of her son, Ms Gibbs completed a double degree at the University of New South Wales studying design and education.

After several teaching roles and post-graduate studies, Ms Gibbs and her family moved to Barellan, where she continues to teach at the Central School.

Griffith Regional Art Gallery Coordinator, Ray Wholohan said Josephine (Jo) Gibbs was 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,” Mr Wholohan said.

“In this body of work, she has captured the atmospheric ambience of the Riverina in high summer, with the dramatic light contrasts and sense of both gentle fertility and heat work ruggedness.

“In addition to atmospheric landscapes, Jo is skilled at composting inventive, design-led still-life paintings that hark back to the Fauvists and other modern masters who built intriguing worlds in colour and shape.”

Ms Gibbs said her paintings were quickly painted to put down the main shapes and suggest rather than 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.”

She often teaches this expressive formal austerity and colourful spontaneity to her students of all ages.

Visit the “Visual Feasts” exhibition at Griffith Regional Theatre’s ArtSpace.

An official opening for the exhibition will take place tomorrow, Saturday, April 13 at 6 pm.

Everyone is welcome to attend.

Contact the Griffith Regional Art Gallery at gallery@griffith.nsw.gov.au or by calling 6962 8338 or visit www.griffithregionalartgallery.com.au for more information about ArtSpace or exhibitions.

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