Chaparral Fine Art - Featured Artists

Joseph Cibula

Joseph Cibula was born in 1946 in Meriden, Connecticut. As a small child, he spent many hours at his parents' restaurant, and one of his earliest memories is that of a frequent customer who used to come in and show him how to draw. He soon proved to have a natural gift for painting and drawing, and these early encounters laid the foundation for a passionate love of art.

In 1966, Mr. Cibula enrolled in the Paier College of Art in Hamden, Connecticut, known for its highly skilled professors and trompe l'oeil style of painting. At Paier, he studied both minimalism and trompe l'oeil, and developed a lifelong admiration for the work of Andrew Wyeth. After finishing school, Mr. Cibula went to work in an advertising agency. He soon found that the structure of the corporate advertising was unrewarding, and in a life-changing moment, left his job to paint.

In 1984, a painting of a duck decoy earned the artist the prestigious Massachusetts Duck Stamp Contest, and today, antique decoys rendered in exquisite detail in oil and watercolor remain a frequent subject, in addition to antique toys, tropical fish, and boats. Throughout his career, Mr. Cibula's love of folk art, modern art, and realism have led him to create a body of work that is stylistically superb and wholly unique.