His education included Long Beach City College and California State University. Although he majored in business in college, he always had an affinity for fine art and he also took art classes.
His early artistic influences include Charles White, R.C. Gorman, Frank Howell and John Biggers and the artist’s earliest work were black and white illustrations that reflected a ‘sixties sensibility. The innovative, ever-evolving artist has over the years developed a distinctive style that fuses African, Native American and African American cultural themes and is characterized by a bold cross-hatching technique, which utilizes ink and acrylic. His hallmark is strong, larger-than-life figures, especially women, with exaggerated hands, feet and height. He states his aim: “I want [the viewers] to realize that each piece of art is about them. It’s about the deep inner feelings of one person being pictured in a way that touches you.”
Charles Bibbs
Charles Bibbs is a native of the Los Angeles Bay area, the second child in a family of ten.