Artist’s Statement

Picturing Albuquerque

My work is about Albuquerque as a contemporary urban area and a quintessential Southwestern city. It is a complex, spread out place situated in a wonderful high-desert valley. Albuquerque’s beautiful surroundings, distinctive architecture and evolving character make it a unique place for visual artists. In recent years, I have worked particularly on the downtown area.

I walk around the streets of the Albuquerque business district and through its various buildings and create drawings, watercolors and take photos. My work is based on these visual references. The paintings present a sometimes empty downtown in an often idealized state. The Albuquerque central business district is not a model of architecture and planning, but it does have many interesting and historic aspects.

Making visual images of urban settings has a long history. My own work is undoubtedly influenced by this tradition. I also do some abstract and semi-abstract pieces.

Resume

Chuck Gibbon has been featured as “An Artist to Watch” in ABQ Arts magazine. A lithograph of his, done in a collaborative class at UNM’s Tamarind Institute, was included in the 2002 Montreal Miniature Print Biennial. His painting East Central was selected for the 2003 Magnifico Albuquerque Contemporary Art Show at the Albuquerque Museum. In 2005 one of his works, The Palace, was included by request of the organizers in an architecture exhibition at the UNM Art Museum. Two of his paintings are reproduced in the recent book, Historic Albuquerque, commissioned by The Albuquerque Conservation Association. The City of Albuquerque purchased two of his paintings in 2008, they are now on exhibit at the downtown Main Library. He has had a number of one person shows. In 2019 his work on display at the New Mexico Cancer Center Gallery With A Cause "Architecture of Beauty" show was given the Curator's Choice Award.

His educational background is in engineering (B.S., Univ. of Kansas, 1960; Ph.D., Notre Dame, 1965), which he practiced professionally for over thirty years. More recently he has earned sixty hours of credit in art and art history from the University of New Mexico.

He is currently represented by Frame City and Gallery, www.framecityandgallery.com.

Exhibitions and related

Nineteen paintings included in The Architecture of Beauty - Works by Prominent NM Artists at the New Mexico Cancer Center, September - November, 2019. Won Curator's Choice award for this show.

Painting, "Machine Shop, Rail Yards", included in Artist Days at the Railyards exhibit at the South Broadway Culture Center, January, 2019.

Review, Wesley Pulkka, "Before and After", Albuquerque Journal, January 13, 2019.

Two person show with Dennis Liberty, Albuquerque! Looking Both Ways, KiMo Theater Gallery, November, 2018 -

January, 2019.

One person show, Central Avenue, at Oasis Albuquerque, May to August, 2018.

Review, Wesley Pulkka, "Reality Reimagined", Albuquerque Journal, March 12, 2017.

One person show, Albuquerque Painted, at DSG Fine Art, Albuquerque, NM, March, 2017.

One person show, Painting Albuquerque, at DSG Fine Art, Albuquerque, NM, July - August, 2013.

One person show, Albuquerque Pictures, at Frame City and Gallery, Albuquerque, NM, August – September, 2011.

Provided cover art for novel, Openings, by Lester Libo, ABQ Press, Albuquerque, 2010.

Painting, A View of Gold, sold at a live auction by Vintage Albuquerque, June 2010.

Six drawings selected for Life Drawing Sketchbook show at Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, NM, Fall, 2009

Painting, West Central, Midday, selected for 2009 MasterWorks of New Mexico show, April, 2009.

Six paintings selected for Houses and Buildings Galore show at Fuller Lodge, Los Alamos, NM, Fall, 2008

Painting, Fourth Street Mall, sold in a live auction at the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Fine Wine and Arts Auction, June 2008.

Two paintings, Main Library and West Copper, purchased by the City of Albuquerque for the downtown Main Library, April 2008.

Painting, Main Library, selected for 2008 MasterWorks of New Mexico show, April, 2008.

Two paintings, Fourth Street Alley and Mesa Azul, reproduced in, Historic Albuquerque,
by C. Lazzell and M. Payne, Historical Publishing Network, San Antonio, 2007.

Two paintings, August Downtown and Santa Fe Shops, selected for 2007 MasterWorks of New Mexico show, April 2007.

Painting, Spring on Gold Street, sold in a live auction at the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Fine Wine and Arts Auction, June 2006.

Painting, The Palace, displayed as part of UNM Art Museum exhibition on architecture, “Defining Spaces”, September – December 2005.

Painting, View of Copper, selected for 2005 MasterWorks of New Mexico show, April, 2005.

Paintings (mostly views of Albuquerque) included in various shows at New Mexico Cancer Center, between December 2004 and February 2010.

Painting, Hospital Hill, sold in a live auction at the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra Fine Wine and Arts Auction, June 2004.

Painting, East Central, selected for 2003 Magnifico Albuquerque Contemporary Show at the Albuquerque Museum, summer 2003.

Painting, Nob Hill Alley reproduced in article on visual arts in Feb., 2003, issue of ABQ Arts magazine.

Print (lithograph, Fifth Street, Dusk) selected for 2002 Montreal Miniature Print Biennial.

Profiled as “An Artist to Watch”, in ABQ Arts magazine, June 2002;image of painting (Mesa Azul) on the cover of this issue.

One-person show at Mesa Azul Gallery Café, June - July, 2002.