 Contemplation, 1985 bronze, ed. 2/5, 5" × 10½" × 8½" |
  Desire, 1983 bronze, ed. 1/5, 29¼" (h) |
 Embrace, 1984 bronze, ed. 2/5, 12" (h) |
 Repose, 1985 bronze, ed. 3/5, 6" × 9½" |
 Movement I, II, III, 1983 bronze, A/P I, 17½" × 11" |
Colin Gibson – Artist Biography
Born in Montreal in 1951, Colin Gibson began carving wooden figures at the age of five. When he was eleven he was sent to study under sculptor Jean Borgeaux. This was instrumental in confirming his life's ambition to become a sculptor. After studying at L'Ecole des Beaux Arts in Montreal in 1970 Gibson worked as a commercial artist. In 1975 he was commissioned to carve a wood relief for Le Meridien Hotel, Montreal.
In late 1976 Gibson moved to Toronto where he free-lanced with Uplis Ltd, a special effects company. He worked on three dimensional, multimedia models and robotics for commercials while attending weekly drawing classes. He soon began carving stylized figurative forms and later modeled wax studies that he had cast in bronze. He received private and corporate commissions and began exhibiting his work in galleries in 1978.
In 1983 he was commissioned to create cast aluminum doors for Denison Mines Ltd., B.C. In 1985 he was asked to design and carve acrylic-relief doors for Denison Potacan Potash, N.B. During this period Gibson began working with art consultants and corporations to create cast bronze and stainless steel sculptures for their annual corporate awards.
He continued to experiment with different materials and began a series of abstracted figures fabricated from copper sheets to which a patina was applied. In 1986 he began carving a 5' x 8' acrylic mural entitled Illumination which features ten figures in a depiction of the epic struggle between opposing forces. When the mural was complete in 1989, a stainless steel frame was designed and fabricated by Gibson at Soheil Mosun Ltd. From 1987 to 1991 he exhibited his sculptures at the Louise Smith Gallery, Toronto, where he participated in a two man show in 1990. In 1991 he was commissioned to create a bronze for Constitution Square, Ottawa. He worked with developer Chuck Magwood, art consultant Greta Valen, and Eric Knoespel of Artcast Inc to create two seven foot figures for installation.
Throughout the 1990s Gibson continued to experiment with different media. He created vibrant, linear metallic sculptures in which the transparent paint allowed the brass to shimmer, enhancing the contours. He continued to experiment with brass sheets, creating angular, concave and convex shapes which were welded together into sculptures that convey a sense of serenity and grace. Concurrently, he created a series of abstract shapes in brass, wood and acrylic to express the interplay of colour and form.
He constructed a series of large wall installations from a mix of unrelated objects that were reassembled, painted and transformed. The finished works evoke spiritual and cosmic themes and were exhibited as part of a one-man show at the Durham Gallery in 2000.
In the fall of 2000 Gibson was invited to submit designs for a proposed veteran's memorial in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France. His bronze sculpture, Remembrance and Renewal, was unveiled at the Juno Beach Centre on June 6, 2003. The piece preserves the memory of the fallen and provides hope for world peace.
In February of 2005 Gibson was a semi-finalist in the Queen's Part Veterans Memorial Competition that involved a team of SCI landscape architects including Fidenzio Salvatori and Margaret MacKenzie.
Gibson is currently working on a figurative and abstract series to be cast in bronze.