Featured Artist Mitchell Gibson | Artsy Shark

Artist Mitchell Gibson shares a compelling story and a selection of works from his surreal portfolio. Find more by visiting his website.

 

 

I was born in a small tobacco farming community. My parents did not get along well and they fought quite often. One night my father came home and found a man in bed with my mother.

 

 

Unfortunately, my father was a violent man who was very fond of guns. He shot the man several times. The man bled while hiding behind several of us kids before the police came and took him. My mother took the children and we moved in with her parents. My father wouldn’t let us take our things and we wore bloody clothes for a week until my grandparents bought new clothes. That trauma defined the early years of my life.

 

 

I discovered that I could escape from the chaos through drawing. At first it was just an escape, but I quickly discovered that drawing made me feel better. The pictures and images that I produced helped me draw down energy from heaven. To my child’s mind, it helped me make sense of the world. Art gave me a sense of peace and control.

 

 

I graduated college and got a scholarship to medical school. I began to meditate during med school. While I meditated, I began to experience visions. I didn’t understand them at first, but I began to draw what I saw. I had reams of images that I kept to myself.

 

 

When I completed med school, I began a psychiatry internship. I began meditating for longer periods of time. It helped with the stress of learning to treat serious mental and physical illness. My art began to evolve, often taking on a life of its own.

 

 

I often painted for hours, neglecting even to eat or sleep. I began to study the great artists and was particularly drawn to the surrealists, cubists, and abstract expressionist styles. Although I loved using acrylics, oils, and pastels, I didn’t show anyone my work. I didn’t think that it was very good.

 

 

One day I went to a local gallery and talked with the gallery owner. I told him I was an artist, and he insisted that I show him my work. I showed him a few pieces and he loved them. He gave me my first public showing. His kindness gave me courage. Several other gallery owners saw my work and gave me shows.

 

 

When I finished my residency, I moved to Arizona and opened a medical practice. I placed several of my works in my office. One of my clients was an art agent. She encouraged me to sell my art. She took some pieces to an exhibition at The Museum of Fine Art in Paris. I won the Jury Prize for Creativity.

 

 

My art still revolves around visions and dreams. There are exhibition halls in my visions that I continually draw inspiration from. Art provides me a place of peace and solace. I believe that my work helps me draw down beauty and peace from the heavens.

 

 

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