Lenard (Len) James Gibbs (1929 - 2010)

Len Gibbs was born on May 5, 1929 in Cranbrook, BC. He was always adventurous and earned his pilot's license when he was only 16. As soon as he graduated from high school he joined the navy and served on several ships including the Royal Navy submarine HMS Tallyho. When he left the navy he went into advertising and eventually became the Creative Director and Vice President of a major Canadian agency. He left the business world in 1968 to devote his free time to painting. He became one of the most important realist artists of his generation with sell-out shows in London England, Toronto, Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and Seattle. His outstanding talents went far beyond his paintings. He built and flew his own airplane, built model railroad, drove classic sports cars and sailed his boats at the hariison Yacht Pond. Len was one of the original Painters at Painter's, an Honorary Alberta artist and an Honorary Victoria citizen. Len passed away on August 12, 2010.