John Skibo

John Skibo's paintings feature figures that are intentionally distorted, scattered, or broken. The figurative series was created by tracing his own body, or that of his partner's, and utilizing discarded construction materials such as plywood, rigid foam, and house paint, along with articles of his own clothing. In this way, Skibo plays with the idea of being a product of one's own environment, while the anonymity of his figures is a nod to the history or portraiture — since the figures lack an identity, viewers may project themselves into the work and, therefore, a tradition of commission that was once only available to the wealthiest members of society. Recently, Skibo has turned to landscape painting and studies, and has been focusing on the migration of butterflies as a natural process. While this is an entirely new series, the formality of shape from the figurative works seamlessly remains.