Artwork copyright dick ibach. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright dick ibach. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright dick ibach. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

boat ride, Date unknown

dick ibach
(American | German, born 1940, died 2021)

Location: Spanaway Lake High School, Spanaway

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

boat ride is an expressive and colorful painting by artist dick ibach. It features intricate details and many symbolic images. Two figures are floating in the middle of a boat-shaped form. The artist describes this form as a "baby tornado" like the dust devils found in central Washington. Look closely and you will see that the figures are cross-eyed, since as the artist notes, "no one's perfect." An empty chair sits at the top of the tornado, above which floats an anchor line, with a heart for an anchor. At the bottom of the composition, notice the red-winged black bird carrying the boat on its wings. The artist notes, "i have used the red winged black bird as a symbol of friendship."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Mount Baker School District and Bethel School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Spokane, Eastern Washington-based artist dick ibach (1940-2021) created paintings that combine figurative imagery with expressive forms and symbolism. Of his work, ibach states, "The direction of my imagery is often autobiographical. It is my intention to speak of the dichotomy of the human condition: to address both the nobility and stupidity of it all."

ibach earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Seattle University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York, in 1972. He taught art at Spokane Falls Community College for over fifteen years. In addition to teaching, he was a Jesuit brother for ten years during the 1960s and he worked many odd jobs such as a hospital orderly, sod buster, cattle brander, grave digger, and cabinet maker. These experiences have shaped his point of view as an artist.