The Martha Gault Art Gallery reopens Aug. 30, with artist Paige Tibbe’s “Body Talk”.
The show will run until Oct. 1st with the gallery open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.
Tibbe is an artist based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She graduated from Seton Hill University with a BFA in studio arts. Tibbe focuses on portraits and figurative paintings.
“I really wanted to focus on hands and the language of your body while you’re talking,” Tibbe said “Sometimes when people are saying something, their body is saying something else. You can say so much by not even speaking.”
With a focus on hands and faces in her portraits, Tibbe wanted to focus on how the portraits and the body language existed together.
Tibbe approached her paintings from a technical and inspirational point of view. She was always told that hands were difficult to draw and paint, so she began to find enjoyment in technically hard aspects, giving her the ability to focus on them.
“It’s fun to watch what the colors do against each other,” Tibbe said.
An inspirational and emotional aspect is also involved in Tibbe’s portraits and paintings.
Stating that people are amazing, Tibbe likes to connect with those she paints through her portraits.
“People are really emotional and I feel like people connect with other people,” Tibbe said. “By painting portraits, hopefully you can connect with someone without being in front of them.”
“Body Talk,” Tibbe’s exhibit, portrays storytelling in a different way than she would usually focus on, but hopes that those who view her art will find it visually pleasing and interesting.
“I’m painting to tell a story to them,” Tibbe said. “[I hope] that they go on this journey through portraits.”
Tibbe hopes that her artworks allows those who view it to think about what their body is doing when they’re talking and to focus on what it means.
To Tibbe, her artwork means dedication and acts as a way for her to clear her mind.
“I really value things that are time consuming,” Tibbe said. “I’m only thinking about lines and colors, instead of focusing on everything else. It’s a break from everyday thoughts.”
Hoping to branch out to the community in the future, Tibbe wants to find a way to integrate her own art practice with the community
“[I’m] trying to bridge art, people, and understanding,” Tibbe said.
