Kali Gibbs: Joey/The Bench

Artist Statement

Strong Connections between memories and emotions are the foundation in my body of work. Focusing on familial relationships, nostalgia is a key component among each painting. Not always nostalgia for times lost, but also for moments of great appreciation and the sort of admiration one feels for siblings and parents. My intention is to incorporate elements of a universal understanding and portray those elements in a very personalized way. The understanding is that everybody has family, however I choose to focus specifically on the relationships I have with my own immediate family. After the deaths of my father and brother, I have become compelled to immortalize my family though paintings. A combination of confident brush strokes and bold colors intentionally transport the viewer to a tranquil and dreamlike place.  Just as how details in a memory or dream can seem either striking or bleary, each painting embodies these characteristics.   

About the Project 

  • Title of Work: The Bench
  • Medium: Oil on canvas
  • Student's Name: Kali Gibbs
  • Major: Art
  • Anticipated Graduation Date: December 2021
  • Hometown: Columbia, Missouri
  • Student's Mentor: Anna Wehrwein
  • Mentor's Department: Painting
  • Art Project ID: 21VADS - 013

Comments

Stacey Woelfel

Kali,

This is beautiful work. I really enjoy how you captured the time of day so well in the painting with the seated figures on the bench facing away from us. The movement in the water is also beautiful. 

Jim Spain

Thank you Lauren for sharing your art that also shares and demonstrates your love of family - a reminder of our own families and relationships.

Lee Ann Garrison

Kali, Nice work! Congratulations!