Hailing from Melbourne, Billy Gibney is an artist who works with oil paint, as well as heavier materials like volcanic rock, marble paint and crushed glass.
If volcanic rock sounds as cool as you think it does, then Billy Gibney’s works prove that tenfold. With a myriad of international shows under his belt, Billy has proven he has a distinctive fair for realism paintings that look right out of a Quentin Tarantino movie set. Here’s our chat with the man behind the brush.
Okay so tell me, how did you get into art? Did you go to art school?
I actually didn't go to art school, I went to design school. But I grew up with my mum who is a painter and it was always there. So from very early on I was familiarised with oil paints, the smells in the house and just how it all worked. I always did a bit of painting here and there but didn’t start taking it seriously until 2019, and then just haven’t stopped.
And this is a full-time thing for you?
Yeah the last few years it has been, yeah.
That’s incredible. It takes a lot to be a young full-time artist these days.
I’ve actually been thinking a lot about that. I think in periods of an artist’s life it’s actually really beneficial to have another day job or whatever you want to call it. Especially if you want to experiment and take things in different directions that maybe aren’t as commercial or as easy to make a living off. And to be able to take those risks, you need to have an income from somewhere. So maybe it’ll change for me soon, this full time thing.
I completely agree. It’s the same sentiment with writing these days as well. No one’s getting paid to write a novel or be able to freelance as a journalist without something else propping them up. It doesn’t get talked about enough.
Yeah absolutely. It’s good to be open about it.
What are the themes that are consistent across your work, if there are any, from when you started?
I think there’s always been a broad theme of memory across all my works. Not necessarily that it comes from a memory but how once you’ve created a painting or imagery, other people project their own memory onto it. There’s been some more subthemes within each show too but memory is the broader, consistent theme.
Is there a reason why you were drawn to that theme?
I also grew up with a psychologist so it’s probably been ingrained in me to think about memories and analysing them. I think that's where everyone's creative work comes from. Even if you have a very strict theme, you're still always projecting your past experiences onto it. It just can't be helped.
That’s really interesting. I’ve seen you work with volcanic rock and marble dust in your works - can you talk me through the process of that because I have no idea how that works?
Yeah so in the last couple years I’ve been trying lots of different materials and have reached a point where I feel like it’s working at the moment. So I first tried mixing the rock with the paint which creates a really heavy body like impasto kind of paint but it wasn't really working for what I wanted to do. So, what I do now is I mix the volcanic rock and the marble dust into the gesso before I do any painting. So, when you're priming the canvas, I apply heaps of layers of it. So, I'll do one layer and sand bits off using ceramic tools and then do another layer. So it ends up having these kinds of craters and little marks throughout it. And then once that's all dry, and there’s however many layers, like sometimes seven layers of that, I’ll do the painting over the top of that, so it kind of bleeds into it while sitting on the top.
Wow okay, and how long does it take for you to kind of experiment with a medium to realise it's working?
I could go forever. I could probably keep experimenting with that for another twenty years. There’s just so much more you can do with it. I’m at a point where I’m happy with it but I absolutely haven’t figured it all out yet or unlocked everything about it yet.
So seven layers, how long from start to finish are we talking here?
If you apply them thinly, which I don’t, it’s anywhere between two to three days to dry.
Oh wow okay.
But I always have multiple going at all different stages.
A veteran artist. Speaking of, you recently had some exhibitions in Ibiza and Romania - how has the European market taken to your work, were you able to connect with some other galleries?
Yeah I’ve had really great experiences with the European market. I found it honestly easier than in Australia. Quite early on in my career I did a couple of residencies over in the UK and met a few different galleries, and have had a string of shows across Europe since. I think when you do shows in Australia, it’s typically your friends, family and Australian collectors that are interested in art that come out, which is great but it stays within that one country. When you’re in Europe there’s just so many people from different countries that come along, because it’s all so connected. There could be twenty different nationalities at a show, you know? So it’s definitely easier to make connections. I’ve had great experiences in Europe.
Europe is the best for that for sure. Coming back home though, your latest exhibition at Orgall Projects was called Remnants, and explored what remains, what changes and what we find when we return to something we thought we remembered. It had been four years since you showed in Melbourne so I wanted to ask what has changed and what remains for you there in that world?
That's a good question. I feel like I've learned so much, but also nothing at all. What's changed? I think that when I started this, it was almost like an escape, just something to do after work and I really enjoyed doing it. But since then I’ve taken it a lot more seriously. Every painting I do now I think what am I adding with this? Is it necessary to do this painting? Am I really contributing to anything? But also trying to not take myself too seriously and enjoy doing art. But yeah just with a lot more consideration. I also think I’ve changed or at least developed the materials I use. I used to just paint on a canvas, which was great to learn, but now I try to bring in as many different materials as I can. I enjoy seeing what works and sticks.
Has there been something that is constant within your work or practice?
I always clean up my studio at the end of the day. I don’t like a messy studio. I know some people love chaos but I like to arrive the next day with a fresh start. I’ve always done that.
There you go. And are you one to listen to music when you’re doing your thing?
Yeah. Music, podcasts, audiobooks. Always something on.
Outside of art, what are some other passions of yours in life?
Every time I'm out of the studio, I'm just either with my family, my friends or my partner, whether that’s getting dinner with them or going to the market, just the small things. Spending time with my people.
That’s a beautiful answer. On a more broader scale, how do you find life as a young artist these days? And maybe not even just your personal experience.
I mean I wouldn’t want to do anything else but the last few years it’s been really hard. There's been a lot of conversation about so many galleries closing and the whole art landscape completely changing. And AI. I could go on forever about that. It’s just a really unstable time. Across any industry really but especially felt in the art world. But there are also things that need to be fixed so hopefully this period of instability resolves some of those issues. I think there’s light at the end though in terms of pushing people to just make whatever they want to make, and being less concerned about collectors or commercial galleries and making lots of money. Kind of a rebellion against that. I think we will start to see some smaller initiatives pop up.
Yeah we’ll find a way. So what’s next for you?
I actually have a show in Paris next. It’ll be in October so I’ve just started working on that now. It’ll be my first show in France so I’m super keen.
