Painter, collagist, printmaker, film-maker, graphic novelist, exhibition curator

Resident in Wales for over fifteen years, my subject matter ranges widely, from landscapes and interiors through to figure painting and portraiture, all rendered in a realistic accessible style, whatever medium I am working in; pencil, charcoal, oils, acrylic or watercolour [currently vice-president of the Royal Watercolour Society of Wales].

For more than thirty-five years, the focus of my art has been the human figure, painted in a representational idiom. Observational drawing practice underpins all my art. My paintings are a carefully observed synthesis of the general view and the telling detail; the asymmetry of a pair of ears, the pull of flesh between finger and thumb, the sideways fall of a breast under its own particular weight.

This approach extends to commissioned portraiture; any prospective client seeking a leavening of flattery is recommended to look elsewhere.

Experience as a Scenic Artist for film and television 1988-2003 [several years with BBC] provided opportunities for me to practice trompe-l’oeil techniques and visual trickery on an industrial scale. Two projects on which I headed the scenic artwork won BAFTA awards for design; [“Portrait of a Marriage” 1989; “Persuasion” 1994]. This career also highlighted the value of photographic and moving image footage as supplements to my studies from life.

Although I hope that my work can be appreciated on a purely aesthetic level, much of my work is propelled by socio-political subtext. 'Consignment', a project I have been working on for over six years was a response to human trafficking and extraordinary rendition. 'Target' was suggested by surveillance techniques employed to track the individual's path through both actual and cyber-space.

I investigate various artistic methods of [mis]representation to produce a visual discord; blurring the lines between the genuine and the fraudulent, under cover of traditional Western painting techniques. My art has been compared to a self-assembly furniture kit - don’t expect to find an instruction manual in the box.

Work has been shown at venues in Cardiff, London, San Francisco, Dortmund, Kyoto and New York. Films have been shown in Clermont Ferrand, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. Paintings are in private collections across six continents.

www.glennibbitsonart.com

smokingbrush.wordpress.com