Check out Paula Gibbs’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Paula Gibbs.

Paula, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
It took a near-death experience in 2012 to turn me into an artist. It was my first day home after winning a battle with advanced stage pneumonia, one which most people lose. That day I had what I suppose was an epiphany. Suddenly art had to be in my life.

It is quite odd because not for one second had I ever considered being an artist. Why would I? Art was something for people with creative talent and the ability to bring ideas into the physical world. That certainly did not describe me.

Having no art education, my recovery was spent researching. Later on, I experimented with many mediums. For the last few years, I settled on working with metal, aluminum actually. I created my own unique style of lightly distressing sheet metal, painting it and then mounting to wood panels.

Currently, in an effort to work on a medium that is “softer” (and without edges as sharp as razor blades) and less physical, I have turned my attention to mixed media on canvas where I will again create my own unique colorful style.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
What I refer to as my metal art is distressed (sometimes not) and painted aluminum mounted on wood panels. The style is truly unique. I am fairly certain you will not find anything like it. Even my simpler pieces involve a long (to me anyway) process of creating a design, measuring, cutting, sanding, and most of the time distressing the metal. I then paint it, usually with enamel, and more sanding. I sand by hand because it is the only way to achieve the look I want.

Although I have already created and sold acrylic and mixed media paintings, I have not reached that place where I can say, “This is my style.” I want that very much and am driven to achieve it. When I do find my painting style, it will probably be something very colorful. My goal is to create a style that will work in a large format, as I would like to work on a canvas size of at least four feet by five feet.

On Instagram, I am posting my journey as I explore abstract styles. I usually add my commentary on what my experience was and how I feel about the piece. My painting style is all over the map, and sometimes quite unattractive, as I continue to explore. I do not post all the “ugly” art, but I do post many of my creations.

My hope for a viewer’s take away is pretty simple. First, I understand that visual art, like music and any other art form, is purely subjective. I would never expect someone to feel a certain way about any piece of art. Art is far too personal for expectations.

Art has the ability to do so many different things, it can lift your spirit, make you think, make a space beautiful, send a message, be a relaxing therapy, and a hundred other things. All I know is, when I look at a piece of art that I love it stirs me, it takes my breath away. I want to absorb its color, texture, and shape. I want my viewers to have their version of that experience when they see a piece of my art that they love.

It is so satisfying to have someone come up and exclaim, “I love that piece!” I can tell that they do because they keep looking at it, they want to touch it and talk about it. Aside from creating, that is the best part about art for me.

The stereotype of a starving artist scares away many potentially talented artists from pursuing art – any advice or thoughts about how to deal with the financial concerns an aspiring artist might be concerned about?
I know what it is like to be working at a j-o-b and to so badly want a different life doing what you love. I have been there. Reality dictates that, until things change, you work your job and in your free time you get better and better at what you love.

Affording art supplies can be a challenge. I know artists who go to garage sales to buy art and reuse the canvas. The artist Mark Bradford is quite the inspiration. He started out making art using the hair perming papers from the hair salon in which his mother worked. Now his art hangs in several art museums.

What I would say is to work on getting better. Make pieces and try to sell them online. There are so many sites where you can list your art for free or very little cost. Take advantage of your social media accounts to showcase and talk about your art. Try to do local shows if there are any in your area or ask a local business if you can hang your art in their shop. No one said it was easy if it was, everyone would be doing it, Right?

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
The obvious way to support my work is to purchase a piece or two. Other ways is through sharing my art with others. Even commenting on my Instagram account is something I really appreciate. I do my best to comment back with at least a thank you.

Most of my buyers find my art online. Here are a few of the ways to find artworks of mine.

Instagram: @PaulaGibbsArt – This is where I post my art journey as I develop my painting style. Here is where you will see my most current works along with narratives.

Website: PaulaGibbsArt.com – My website has most of my metal pieces. Websites can be so cumbersome, mine is no exception. That will soon change as I switch to a better platform.

Etsy: PaulaGibbsArt – I sell much of art through Etsy.

Google: “Paula Gibbs Art” – Just google my name followed by “art” and click on images at the top of the results page. A lot of my very first pieces can be seen.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://paulagibbsart.com
• Phone: 760-440-8381
• Email: media@paulagibbsart.com
• Instagram: @PaulaGibbsArt
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PaulaGibbsArt

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