Donald Munro
May 7, 2023
Robert Weibel says his head and heart are always full of new ideas. I love the creative spirit — and the sense of urgency — behind that statement. (He goes on to say: “I want to do it all, and there’s limited time,” which also gives his art a sense of urgency.)
Weibel’s new show at Scarab Creative Arts (729 E. Divisadero at Broadway) is one of my highlight picks for May’s Fresno ArtHop (Thursday, May 4), the monthly open house of galleries and studios in the downtown and Tower District neighborhoods. Most venues are open 5-8 p.m. For a complete list, go to the Fresno Arts Council’s website.
Titled “Transitions,” the Weibel show reflects his journey of creating and showing a wide range of media and subjects. Some of the images are familiar. In his “Carried Ashore” series, the artist uses vintage maps, nautical charts and pastels to explore the idea of one person helping another through transitions. (In this insightful 2018 TMR interview, Weibel explains the passion behind these works.) He explores two other themes in the new exhibition. In a series of monotypes, he painted or drew images on Plexiglas using ink, paint and grease pencil. Then he laid damp paper on the image and ran it through his etching press. “The image transfers to the paper as a unique print,” he writes in his artist statement. “Unlike all other printmaking, each monotype is one of a kind.”
Finally, Weibel works with X-rays, which sounds fascinating to me. He explains that X-rays are usually dark pictures of injury and illness. Here, he creates new images that transform “and change the story.”
Fresno arts doyenne Joyce Aiken and I interviewed Weibel for our video series about visual artists working through the pandemic. Here is the segment: