Charles A. Bibbs at Portfolio Gallery & Education Center

California-based artist Charles A. Bibbs’ show at Portfolio Gallery and Education Center (3514 Delmar Blvd. 63103, in the Grand Center Art District) is worth blocking out some time to see. I was reminded of R. C. Gorman’s work, the noted Navajo painter. I often saw Gorman’s work when I lived in New Mexico. There is a similar focus on the earth mother archetype rendered in a bold stylistic statement.

When I attended Bibbs’ gallery talk, he shared his experiences in the art world as an African American artist, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He is as riveting a speaker as his art is.

He generously gave each audience member a fan with the Black Madonna image used in the film adaptation of Sue Monk’s “The Secret Life of Bees.”

Born in Harbor City, California, Bibbs credits his parents with recognizing and encouraging him to develop his talents. Charles has been able to combine his artistic talent with his entrepreneurial spirit by forming B Graphics and Fine Arts, a company that publishes and distributes art. The company has grown into one of the most successful publishers and distributors of ethnic art in the country.

Charles Bibbs’ art fuses African, African American and Native American cultural themes, to make powerful cross-cultural statements. His art is thought provoking and arouses strong emotions across ethnic, gender and generational boundaries. Across the board, his art conveys a deep sense of spirituality, majesty, and dignity; they are recognizably “Bibbs.”