“Jiobu’s process is instinctual and fluid, informed by her physical experiences—swimming, surfing, dancing to James Brown—yet the work never slips into literalism. Instead, her canvases radiate exuberance, serving as visceral artifacts of motion, joy,
and freedom.”
George Bayer, Artist/Filmmaker
My love for painting began in kindergarten when I added color to other girls’ dresses, to make them more vibrant. To this day, color continues to fuel my love of painting.
My work reflects my deep connection to both movement and color. As an avid swimmer, dancer, and aspiring surfer, these passions shape my artistic expression.
Having always lived in cities near the ocean—Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York City—the sea is an integral part of who I am. Zen Buddhism also plays a significant role in my life, grounding my creative journey. I am a student of Reb Anderson, in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki, founder of San Francisco Zen Center.
I have been dancing all of my life, starting with ballet and tap as a kid. I earned an MFA in Dance from CalArts. I consider my years studying at the Merce Cunningham Studio as pivotal in my life as an artist.
I primarily use acrylic paint because of its fast drying time, which allows me to juggle multiple paintings at once—usually five in progress. Most of my paintings are on wood panels, which provide a hard surface that I can sand back, draw on, and create texture. I approach each painting with a sense of play, balancing that spontaneity with careful decisions about composition and color.
Intuition is a central part of my process, and I see the finished painting as an artifact of the experience itself.
"Laurie Jiobu’s work pulses with a raw, kinetic energy that seems to echo the call of the ocean itself—a force she cites as both muse and metaphor. Her acrylic paintings, often created in rapid succession due to the medium’s fast drying time, exist as living documents of movement and change. Jiobu’s process is instinctual and fluid, informed by her physical experiences—swimming, surfing, dancing to James Brown—yet the work never slips into literalism. Instead, her canvases radiate exuberance, serving as visceral artifacts of motion, joy, and freedom. Beneath this vibrant surface, there is also a quiet, contemplative current. A longtime student of Zen Buddhism, Jiobu brings a mindfulness to her practice that balances the wildness of her subject matter with an ongoing search for stillness. Zazen, with all its quiet rigor, shadows her expressive gestures, lending the work a meditative depth. Her reverence for the natural world is palpable—not as a subject to be tamed or captured, but as an elemental presence to be danced with. In Jiobu’s paintings, nature isn’t observed; it’s embodied.
George Bayer, Artist/Filmmaker
Collectors (selected)
The Edyth and Eli Broad Foundation, Los Angeles, CA
Matt Higgins, Chatham, NJ
Bobbi Brown, Montclair, NJ
Greg Grasmehr, Los Angeles, CA
Josh Nadell, New York, NY
Hyatt Regency, Taipei, Taiwan (commission)
Toyo Printing, Tokyo, Japan
Kaiser Permanente. Santa Rosa, CA
PacifiCare, Newport Beach, CA
Joaquin Horton, San Francisco, CA
Jack Sullivan, San Francisco, CA
John and Ann Reynolds. Piedmont, CA
Exhibits (selected)
Jack Fischer Gallery (on-line juried exhibit)
Huntington Beach Art Center, Huntington Beach, CA
Triangle Gallery (solo show), San Francisco. CA
Gallery Sho, Tokyo, Japan
Don Soker, San Francisco
Doizaki Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Iri Lasorda Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Marin Arts Guild (curated by Richard Baker, SF Chronicle), Larkspur, CA
California Institute of the Arts Alumni Exhibit, Valencia, CA
Education
California Institute of the Arts, Valencia, CA
University of California, Los Angeles, CA