Meet John Gibbs | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with John Gibbs and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi John, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I started my own business because I’ve always dreamed of being a full time artist and working for other people wasn’t fulfilling. I began my career in Chicago in the graphic design industry and I began painting for a more personal creative outlet. When I moved to Pennsylvania with my girlfriend, now wife, I had the extraordinary good luck of meeting another artist and sculptor building an art foundry. Sculpture had been my passion in university and I jumped right in with both feet. We built a bronze foundry and art gallery while making sculptures and paintings. Unfortunately, my wife’s teaching position at the college was only temporary. So we moved to Greensboro where she was appointed a tenure track position. 
I wanted to continue working in the fine arts and began working for another artist fabricating his designs. That lasted only a couple years as it wasn’t financially rewarding and was physically taxing work. I tried getting back into graphic design but found it difficult to find employment that was more than production and had any creative input.
When we had our son, I was able to be a stay at home dad and worked on painting commissions in my spare time. As my son has gotten older, I have had more time to go from a part-time artist to making this a full-time business. Sometimes persistence is the key to success. I’ve just always wanted to be an artist and never gave up.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My most recent body of work is sculpture using recycled cardboard as the medium. I am very excited about it as a way of producing light weight sculptures with a low carbon footprint while still being esthetically beautiful and durable. I can’t think of another medium that I could have produced a large scale lion relief that can be hung as easily as a painting and look so good. I love the immediacy of working in cardboard. I can fashion a piece and seal it with acrylic medium or varnish and it’s done. I don’t have to fire it in a kiln or create a mold and have it cast. Though, sometimes I would like to have a mold made for creating multiples. Some works wouldn’t be possible to create if I was molding and casting them. I love the creative freedom it gives me. I think that working with cardboard speaks to the viewer in an intimate way as we all interact with it on a daily basis. That familiarity invites the viewer to reconsider their relationship with the things around them and shows the potential for artistry in unexpected places.

I got to where I am today professionally by perseverance. Just continuing to work at it little by little. The challenges during slow sales times were difficult and I was often discouraged, but just kept putting one foot in from of the other, so to speak. That’s one of the lessons I’ve learned. Another is you have to get your work out there. It doesn’t matter how good you are if no one sees your work.

As for what I want the world to know about my brand and story, I’d say that’s a hard one to nail down. You’d think with my experience in the design industry I’d have a snappy answer for that. I would say that my brand is quality artistic craftsmanship. My work is a reflection of who I am and the experiences I’ve had. We all see the world differently and if you click with the way I see and interpret the world you’ll love my work. If not you’ll probably love someone else’s work and that’s okay. Though, if you love the artwork someone is producing you should support that by purchasing their work to encourage them to keep doing it. Nothing says you value artwork like buying it.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If you’re in the Greensboro area, I’d recommend Jake’s billiards. It’s one of my favorite spots for a night out with my son and some buddies. They have a huge beer selection, good bar food, and plenty of pool tables, darts, and ping pong if you like to play. One of my favorite restaurants is Pho Hien Vuong for Vietnamese food. They are super popular and always busy. Downtown is great for walking around with nice shops along Elm St. to pop into. Crafted Taco is a great place to eat and despite the name has the best burgers around. I’d also recommend Machete for fine dining and Greensboro’s own performing arts center for a show.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to dedicate this shout out to my beautiful wife Ellen Haskell who has been so supportive of my art career. She has always been encouraging and supportive offering help with reviewing my writing, giving her opinions, and going above and beyond to help me achieve my dreams. Thank you for the opportunity to recognize her involvement.

Website: https://www.johngibbsart.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johngibbsart/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-gibbs-6716753/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johngibbsart

Other: @johngibbsart.bsky.social , threads @johngibbsart

Image Credits
All photos were taken by John Gibbs and Ellen Haskell.