Gerald Bybee ~ Artist’s Statement &  Blog

For many years the focus of my work was myopically commercial.  A conservative upbringing never allowed me to be comfortable with creating art just for art’s sake or personal fulfillment. Commerce, however, justified a creative career. So I immersed myself in large production commercial assignments. Yet the images I created primarily for self-promotion and technical exploration remain for me the most enduring. They still bring me great visual joy and creative satisfaction.

I took a sabbatical from the Commercial Advertising world to develop a green habitat, recreation area, and lifestyle for my family here in West Sonoma County CA.  the hiatus allowed met to step back and reflect on imaging and why it is and always will be a passion in my life.    I have finally reached a comfort zone where I feel free to create images that please primarily myself and bring me joy through the mere process and struggle of creation.

While “concept” is evident throughout my work it is not necessarily foremost  in my conscious. images are revealed as I explore, light, technology, human and environmental interactions.  If my images  or style are of interest  to commerce then so much the better, but that is no longer my primary motivation. I am finally at a point where Lifestyle and personal interest myopically drive all other endeavors.