Jamie Gibbons

Oil paintings on reclaimed materials

Biography

I am trained as an artist but spend my days teaching in art museums, helping students learn how to look. I spend my evenings and weekends in my home studio, experimenting with representing the light and shadow of quiet landscapes in oil paint on the surfaces of reclaimed materials - salvaged wood, cedar shingles, cabinet doors, windows.

My work has been shown in juried group exhibitions throughout New England and beyond, including locally the Somerville Public Library, NAVE Gallery Annex in Somerville, Inside-OUT Gallery in Somerville, and Mosesian Center for the Arts in Watertown. I am an affiliate member of the Brickbottom Artists Association in Somerville and participate annually in artist markets including ArtBeat in Davis Square, Somerville and local farmers markets.

Artist's Statement

While my home is full of antiques scoured from flea markets and rescued from curbside, my studio is full of non-traditional canvases. I collect materials that have their own prior life – reclaimed wood, unfinished cabinet doors, salvaged windows, and more – and continue their story in oil paint. Forgotten pieces in dusty basements and salvaged from discard piles get added to the ever-growing "I could paint on this" collection that is slowly taking over my Boston-area studio.

I am drawn to quiet scenes where light, shadow, and reflection speak volumes. Saturated, juicy textures call out to me: the layering of sumptuous earth tones, the empty spaces where wood grain, knots, imperfections, and character show through.

I am 60% daydreaming of late afternoon sun, 30% calm of the quiet in my studio, and 10% strong coffee.

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