Note Type
Antony Hayton, Exhibit DirectorNote
James Gibson (1938-2017)
St. Lucie River Bend
Oil on Masonite circa the mid to Late 1990s
Image size 24" X 30"
The sleepy, lush tranquillity of the St. Lucie River near Fort Pierce and its dramatic bend has become the subject of numerous paintings by many if not all, the Highwaymen. As you observe other works in the exhibit, you may notice this river bend, or one that could easily be it, done by a multitude of artists, including Willie Daniels, his brother Johnny, Mary Ann Carroll, Livingston Roberts, and Harold and Sam Newton, to name a few. This favored scene typically features a bend in the river with an outcropping of vibrant tropical vegetation with several tall palms rising over the bend; the right foreground is usually commanded by a "reverse" C" of trees leaning out of the water with Spanish moss draping down from the branches. The river's tranquil waters frequently host egrets or herons hunting for food, as dense growth and trees line the distant shorelines in all directions.
This artwork by James Gibson marks a significant transition from his earlier fast painting style. He has meticulously applied layer upon layer of paint using a palette knife. The scene depicts a calm St. Lucie River meandering slowly toward the Atlantic. A sense of serenity envelops the viewer as Gibson captures the jungle-like density of foliage, showcasing its wide variety of greens and yellows that blend beautifully with the blues of the sky and the river as it flows toward the thick greenery in the distance. This piece is a stunning representation of this wetland paradise, made even more remarkable because he painted it from memory and imagination. As the artist Hezekiah Baker would say, "We didn't paint for perfection; we painted for color."