From Commercial Art to Canvas Mastery

Tricia Gibbs's artistic journey began far from the studio, rooted in Commercial Art and Visual Design on the west side of Cleveland. Initially drawn to the technical rigor of organizing color and drawing, she transitioned her passion into a robust career as both a practicing artist and a dedicated educator. After moving to New Hampshire, she committed fully to her artistic development, graduating summa cum laude with a BFA in Painting in 2007 from the Institute of Art in Manchester. Her talent and enthusiasm for sharing knowledge led her almost immediately into teaching, starting with her popular Alla Prima class. She swiftly achieved her goal of becoming a full-time instructor and continues to teach and mentor—now in a different capacity in an intensive needs room at McKelbie Middle School—while planning new studio courses for former and high school students through her work with Scholastic Arts.

The Evolution: From Realism to Liminal Space

Tricia’s art is a testament to constant evolution. Her foundational approach was intense realism, driven by the challenge of technical mastery, with James Aponovich's advice, "if you can paint an egg, you can paint anything," serving as a guiding principle. This mastery allowed her to paint complex forms from imagination. Seeking a deeper creative challenge, she shifted to minimalism in graduate school, emphasizing essential forms and limited mark-making. Her current body of work is a powerful synthesis, blending her accomplished drawing and painting skills using mixed media. This approach allows her to explore emotional and spatial concepts, particularly liminal space—the transformative "space in between"—often inspired by the physical and emotional distance in relationships and memory.

Nature, Pigments, and "Palette-to-Palette"

The New Hampshire landscape serves as a profound wellspring of inspiration for Tricia. Her daily walks among local trails and rock walls inform the topographical and landscape-based pieces she creates, inspiring her use of natural colors. Her commitment to the alchemy of art is deep-seated, having previously taught classes on grinding natural pigments and even creating her own for her BFA show. Tricia is now preparing for an exciting new collaborative venture called "Palette-to-Palette." Inspired by the work of artists like Nicola Bennett, this project will pair her with chefs to create art and dishes that mutually influence and interpret each other's work, bridging the sensory experiences of sight and taste.