Susan M Gibbons

December 16, 2014 I've started a new series titled the Adam Series based on the account in Genesis when Adam was created from the dirt of the earth.  I'm incorporating different colored dirt within the work to symbolize the different colors of the human skin.  It's been fun finding the different colors of dirt to match the colors of the encaustic paint.  Using the dirt has been interesting as it adds a wonderful texture and completeness to the work. The idea came to me as I was heading home from an Image Journal workshop called The Glen Workshop in Santa Fe, NM in the early 2000's.  I was driving home with a friend and we noticed the beautiful colors of the horses grazing off the highway.  Then it hit me - the colors of the horses matched many of the colors of the earth and so does human skin.  This little epiphany (an epiphanette!) lead to the idea of creating a series of artworks that would encapsulate that idea.  Now, after many years, I'm actually creating i

October 27, 2014 I was contemplating my Interstice Series again because it seems to be progressing past the initial point of departure for the work.  The basic idea was that the interstice - small cracks and crevices - when broken down into the simplest imagery, was a series of contrasts, areas of light and dark.  But the more intriguing aspect of the definition was the 'space in between'.  That part of the definition has driven me when working in this series.  But what has happened now is the initial motivation is becoming more and more distant when I'm creating.  I see the play of contrasts still but the encaustic medium is definitely dictating a deeper meaning within the work.  I am working with not just the values of black, white, and grey but also with more textures, more mark making.  The hand of the artist is seen with traces of my thinking and process. Incorporating my prayer life and meditation within the creative process, I am finding that my hand is not ju

Well, I got the call... the one I was expecting but didn't want to get.  My mom needs to either to have a companion with her or we need to move her into assisted living.  My mother has dementia and it is progressing.  We've been uneasily waiting for this day to come and it is now here. The call came yesterday while I was on my lunch hour at work so I was able to take it.  As would be expected, a myriad of questions and emotions filled my mind and heart and I found that I could think somewhat clearly but not enough to ask everything I needed to ask.  That's what today is for...  pulling myself together to handle everything that mom needs.  Spending time on the phone with family and agencies has been draining but it is that season of life.  Things are the way they are; it is what it is. Many thoughts are going through my head regarding mom's care and making sure she is comfortable and secure in her surroundings.  The last thing we all want is to make a decision that w

January 4, 2014 Hi all and welcome to my new blog!!!!  So much has happened, I'm not sure where to begin but here goes... 2013 was a year of change.  I left teaching at both colleges (Community College of Aurora [Dec. 2012] and Denver [May 2013]), enjoyed being a grandma, mom, and wife, gained a upcoming son-in-law (wedding TBA), and even took time off from the studio, and... started a new job at an art supply company which developed into a full time management position. Artwise, my work was accepted into the Fusion Encaustic Exhibit at the EncaustiCon Conference 2013 in Santa Fe NM this past year and a beautiful catalogue was created for the show. The piece Interstice II was the work accepted.  What an honor it was to be included in such a wonderful exhibit!!!!! While all this was happening, my art was taking some new directions.  I'm still working loosely within the interstice ideas but moving in a broader direction with the work:  larger areas of tone, less band