Artistic Aspirations

ONE OF THE MOST moving experiences of 22-year-old Danielle Gibbons’ life was working on a charcoal drawing of an Italian opera singer who had died of Alzheimer’s disease.

Gibbons had been commissioned to draw the portrait by the singer’s husband. The 18-inch-by-24-inch piece was a realistic picture of the woman on stage.

The husband “loved it,” Gibbons said. “He was very emotional and it made me feel great to know he was so happy with the piece.” 

That moment made the art history major realize her calling.

“Art is a great tactile way of expressing yourself,” Gibbons said, describing her style as “classical leaning.”

But, as the world evolves, so does her artwork.

Last fall, while taking a “Blacks in Performing Arts” class, her teacher, Stan L. Breckenridge, learned she was an artist and asked her to design the CD cover art for his soon-to-be-released album, “Humanity.”

One song from “Humanity,” has been released. It is a four-minute composition called “Love Sign.”

Gibbons, a McNair Scholar, said she listened to Breckenridge’s song and created a watercolor piece with the ocean in the background and a silhouetted hand making the “I Love You” sign.

“I think of it as a soothing piece,” she explained. “I chose a silhouette because it can be anybody’s hand, the hand of any race, something for everybody to identify with.”

For Gibbons, whose mother is Jewish and of French and Tunisian descent and father is a Christian African American from Alabama, the piece was extra meaningful.

“I grew up in a very diverse home,” she said, adding that her mixed heritage and experiences influence her artwork and philosophy.

“People should not judge others by what they look like,” Gibbons said. “Like art, there's more to people than what you see on the surface.”

Her artwork includes drawings of scenes she’s witnessed in her own life — from urban city portraits in America to serene garden cafes in France.

“By growing up in a family of mixed heritage, race and religion, I’ve been exposed to the multitudes of positives and negatives that come along with such a background,” she said. “I think I have become more understanding and compassionate of other views and cultures, and it’s reflected in my studies and my art.”

Breckenridge said Gibbons' "sense of creativity is very fresh and thought-provoking.”

Her art evokes “various dimensions of thought,” he said. “Danielle has the quality of a person who, without doubt, will be successful in whatever she sets out to do. It is every professor's hope to have contributed to the educational growth of a student who will in time far exceed him.”

As a McNair Scholar, Gibbons has been paired with Joanna R. Roche, professor of art history, who will serve as her mentor as she works on a research project about female patrons of the arts in France during the 18th century.

“I’ll be examining women’s motives, social status and cultural production before and during the Enlightenment period,” Gibbons said.

After completing her undergraduate degree, Gibbons said, she plans to pursue a doctorate degree in art with the aim of teaching art at the university level.

February 2, 2011