Colin Gibbs
Colin was born in Whanganui. He spent his childhood in the shadows of the Parapara Hills, and alongside the Whanganui River.
His more recent work explores biculturalism, relationships with our land, and social commentary. Colin destroyed almost all of his early works – only one of these survives, in the collection of the Sarjeant Gallery, Whanganui.
Te Ara Tika – the path all wairua take – 2023
This series of paintings is inspired by the music and poetic lyrics of Caitlin Smith--song poet and story singer. It draws from her CD You Have Reached Your Destination. The exhibition, "Te Ara Tika" is a Ngapuhi expression, which refers in this context to "the path all wairua take". The events in our lives form the path of our spiritual journey. The painterly process invite...
Twelve – with thanks to Louise Henderson – 2021
This series of works was inspired by Louise Henderson’s The Twelve Months. Louise painted her 12 canvases across the period of 12 months "filtering the rhythms of the year through her abstract poetic of nature". This present series Twelve - with thanks to Louise Henderson, took longer than 12 months to complete - some were painted concurrently, others ne...
Now – 2020
I first heard Gary Husband and Alex Machaceh’s Now some time in late 2013. I have for many years been immersed in John McLaughlin’s work, and Gary is a long-time member of John’s group, the 4th Dimension. Alex’s work was quite new to me, and took me by surprise, especially as I am a neophyte guitar player. This music resonated with the innermost part of me, and I found that repeat...
ORKNEY – light 2019
In August 2019 we spent three weeks in Orkney. The landforms were varied. As you travelled down from the higher lands, you saw the scarring of where peat had been harvested. These hills were often wrapped in mist and fog, and shafts of silken light penetrated through the meetings of the hills. This light revealed hidden colours and textures of the land. The paintings try to capture t...