Bibby, Chris

Christopher Francis Bibby’s life as an artist began as a small child growing up in Cheshire located in Northwest England. Having been creatively drawn to the lines and angles of geometric shapes as far back as he can recall, Bibby began bringing squares and rectangles to life in the sketches and painting of his earliest years. However, it wouldn’t be until he moved to Glasgow, Scotland, at the age of twenty that Bibby would discover the inspiration to seriously pursue painting as a career.

A buzzing metropolitan of warmth and vibrancy sprinkled with lush parks and stunning architecture, Glasgow evoked a sense of passion and fascination in Bibby. Endlessly influenced by the dynamics of the city—the movement of its buildings, the weaving dance of its vehicles, the spirit of its citizens and the energy that merged them all—Bibby spent his early twenties developing and honing the distinctive patterns and patchwork designs that would become the signature element of his entire body of work.

After five years of artistic and commercial success, Bibby endured a severe injury to his right hand. Determined to continue his work, he turned what may have been a career-halting accident into an opportunity for ingenuity, training himself to paint with his left hand throughout the six-month healing period. In 1999, eager to resume his work and suddenly anxious to explore more of the world’s great cities, Bibby set off on 18-month tour of Europe and the United States, documenting his adventures on canvas each step of the way.

His travels eventually led him to Portland, Oregon. Here, motivated by the natural beauty and culture of the Pacific Northwest, Bibby established a studio and began introducing new mediums and scale into his art. Today, utilizing oil paints, wax, pencils, crayons and a number of mark-making tools in the production of his work, Bibby is able to communicate through the textures and dimensions unique to each piece of art.

Christopher Bibby’s work has been featured in galleries and showrooms throughout Oregon and the U.K. including the Portland Art Museum Rental Sales Gallery, Dragonfly Gallery, Mary Lou Zeek Gallery, Portico, Edinburgh Arts and Art Forum. Never one to stay put in one place for too long, Bibby happily splits his time between Portland and his native U.K.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Ever since I was very young I have had a strong emotional sense that we are all one. Though we appear separate and alone, we are in fact all from the same place; made of the same stuff. The presence of this vision in my life helps me understand the play between the real and abstract worlds within my paintings. Describing the patterns found in the windows of a building, in a city, on the street, and in a distant sky is important for my need to express what I see and feel as a person in the world.

At times I find myself exploring, in an unconscious fashion, those same rhythms and patterns in an effort to make sense of their place in a more complicated world of chaos and change. These feelings of separation and unity are brought into a joyful place by my use of rich and stimulating colours. Colours awaken the experience, transforming what can be a deep and often overwhelming feeling of loss into a place of exaltation and contentment . My paintings, I hope express what a wonderful role we play in this beautiful world.

About a Blue Forever Rain Its a City Thing Journey 3 Journey 4 Turning Urban