“Palm Beach Reefs” are the theme of my contemporary paintings created by pouring translucent layers of epoxy resin tinted with transparent dyes.
I learned to work with resin while building surfboards (teenage summer business).
My inspiration is the reef system that once thrived in the sparkling clear Gulf Stream waters that bathe Palm Beaches’ sunny shoreline–and my goal is to call attention to this fragile beauty. Back in the sixties, when I was a child, we snorkeled with masks and fins at the water’s edge of Juno Beach and Jupiter Island- over live coral reefs! These living reefs bristled with life: Angelfish, Lobsters, Clams, Crimson Banded Coral Shrimp, Sea Fans, purple sponges and neon colored tropical fish. Jupiter and Palm Beach Inlets were filled with Caribbean fishes, corals and anemones.
We are fortunate along the Treasure Coast of Florida that every day, the Gulf Stream current breathes new life into our coastal waters.
Detail of Painting, “South Florida Coast”
The media I use, epoxy resin, is translucent like the pure waters of the Gulf Stream. I pour layers of resin with aquamarine tints onto a painted wood panel. The resin does most of the work–creating its own fluid wave shapes and sea forms.
I am drawn to the color blue. Our Palm Beach County waters can still at times become aquarium clear–thanks to the cleansing action of the powerful Gulf Stream. During dry winter days when the trade winds blow the Gulf Stream close to shore our local beaches sparkle with aquamarine blues.
“Ride the Tide” 30″ X 40″ Epoxy Resin on Wood Panel
“Seminole Reef Sponges” 40″ X 30″ Epoxy Resin on Wood Panel
I am humbled that these unusual paintings hang in the estate homes of many Palm Beach area friends, neighbors and art collectors. I try to create one large sized abstract piece per month. They are often sold prior to completion. Each has three to five transparent layers painted on durable bass wood frames. When completed, I fine sand, then polish the surface to a high lustre–to highlight the transparency of the “ocean” and to bring out the vivid colors of the reef life.
Resin art is not home decor meant to blend with couch pillows. It is bold and colorful contemporary art that jumps off the wall and “hits you in the eyeballs!”
The Lighthouse ArtCenter Tequesta recently exhibited my Palm Beach Reef series. For information, contact: http://lighthousearts.org or email Bob Gibson rjg@rjgibson.com
