A newly published fine art book, “Michael Gibbons – Painting in Nature,” depicts Gibbons’ extensive career and features more than 150 images of work from Oregon and around the world, integrated with Gibbons’ personal reflections on painting and his philosophy of creating art based on observing nature. “When I’m painting in nature, it is the divine experience of the land that feeds my inspiration,” said the artist, who passed away last year.
Born in Portland in 1943 and a fifth generation Oregonian, Gibbons actively painted the Oregon landscape for 55 years.
In conjunction with this book launch, Giustina Gallery at the LaSells Stewart Center – South Gallery, located on the Oregon State University campus in Corvallis, is showing an exhibit of more than 20 of Gibbons’ plein air paintings of locations in the Yaquina River Watershed and around the world, which have been loaned from private collections and the Michael Gibbons Signature Gallery in Toledo.
The exhibit opened on Aug. 11 and will remain on display through Sept. 24. On Saturday, Sept. 25, there will be a closing reception along with the official launch of the fine art book. That reception will take place from noon to 3 p.m.
A raffle drawing for “Snowshill Poppy Field,” an original oil painting by Gibbons, will be held at the closing reception. This is a $10,000 painting depicting a misty field of red poppies in the Cotswolds of England. Only 75 tickets will be sold at $100 each for this raffle. Tickets can be purchased at Michael Gibbons’ Signature Gallery at 140 NE Alder St. in Toledo — call 541-336-2797 for details and ticket purchases. All proceeds from the raffle will go to the Yaquina River Museum of Art. For more information about the museum, go to www.yaquinarivermuseumofart.org
