Noir art in Edwardsville: A look at Parker Gibson

by Jesse Gernigin

Parker Gibson’s reputation precedes him, literally. I meet his work before I meet him. It has been hanging around Edwardsville in different galleries since March 15. Lately I had been seeing his work at Erato’s, but now it has moved into Afterwords Bookstore on Main Street in downtown Edwardsville.

His work is also making appearances and garnering accolades from well-circulated art magazines across the world, such as the popular 0nline e-zine Stone Online and Advanced Photoshop Magazine UK edition. When I get a chance to sit down with him I’m pleasantly surprised.  The man behind the work was not what I was expecting.

Parker’s work is stylish and absent of the ennui that plagues most designers in the world of ready-made templates.   Right now it is highly noir, with heavy influences coming from surrealists like Dali in creating and defining negative spaces. Parker’s work features pieces that exemplify specific subject’s kinetic motions and also highly abstract art that uses specific and minimal images to convey large amounts of information.

His work calls to mind a sharply dressed man who is constantly squinting between thoughts, but when I met him fresh from the studio I found our artist dressed much like myself in linen shorts and a simple pastel button up with matching flip flops.  He carries himself with a lightness usually reserved for dancers, and is bursting with ideas.  His energy quickly absorbs me and we spend the next thirty minutes discussing ideas and exploring themes that he is excited about.  Parker is currently very interested in three dimensional noir art.  He is combining typography, photography and new creative techniques with Photoshop to create art that is, “Descriptive emotionally, distorted informationally, plainly beautiful, achingly complex, bold, bright and entirely kinetic.”

When the conversation lulls I steer him into answering my questions.  I ask him about his inspirations, his plans for the future.  He avoids them almost superstitiously, but what he does say strikes me deep inside.  I ask him out of everything he could do, “Why art?”

“Because, art is the place our hopes call home.”

He smiles.  I urge him to continue, “Because art affords me the opportunity to express and explore things, something that has been there for me and something I can escape to.”

And how wonderful is it that Edwardsville gets to call itself home to Parker and his work right now.  Parker’s work can be seen currently at Afterwords Bookstore on Main Street. So take a second and stop in, have a look at Parker’s work.

Parker’s work will be up through the end of July for viewing at Afterwords Bookstore.

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