BIO/STATEMENT

Bio

Gilbert is a Washington DC based painter

Gilbert was born in Richmond, Virginia, and graduated from Virginia State University in Petersburg, Virginia, with a B.S. degree in a Art Education. He later received a Master of Arts in Studio Art from the New York University/Venice graduate program. He studied in Venice, Italy for two consecutive summers and concluded the program in New York in 2003. Trent relocated to the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area in 1986 and recently completed his 37th Art Teacher career. He looks forward to focusing more on painting and exhibiting his work. He’s a former resident artist at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington (Arlington Arts Center) in Arlington, Virginia. Trent has exhibited in several galleries in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area and the Leslie Lohman and 80 WSE Gallery in New York.

Artist Statement

My abstract acrylic paintings are an exploration of color as both a visual and emotional language. I am fascinated by color theory and the dynamic relationships between color, movement, texture, and the other fundamental principles of art and design. Through the layering of vibrant pigments and intuitive mark-making, I investigate how colors interact—creating harmony, tension, rhythm, and balance—while inviting viewers into an experience that is both visual and contemplative.

Equally important to my work is a lifelong fascination with life itself: who we are, why we exist, and the unseen forces that shape our individual journeys. Influenced by Buddhist philosophy, particularly the principles of cause and effect and karma, I reflect on the circumstances that define each lifetime—our race, gender, health, relationships, opportunities, and challenges. These conditions are not presented as answers, but as questions that encourage reflection on the interconnectedness of all existence.

My paintings begin without a predetermined image or outcome. I allow each composition to evolve organically through intuition, discovery, and response. The process mirrors life itself. None of us enters the world knowing where our path will lead or who we will become. We grow, transform, adapt, suffer, celebrate, and continually redefine ourselves through experience.

The canvas becomes a metaphor for existence—an ever-changing space where each layer records moments of choice, chance, and transformation. Every mark influences the next, just as every action shapes the unfolding of our lives. Some paintings feel complete; others continue to evolve, reflecting the understanding that life itself is never truly static or finished.

Through abstraction, I invite viewers to pause, reflect, and consider their own journey through the cycles of birth, growth, suffering, aging, and renewal. My hope is that each painting becomes not only an exploration of color and form, but also a meditation on the beauty, mystery, and impermanence of being alive.