Marie E.V.B. Gibbons

An artist who speaks very well for herself, Ms. Gibbons writes: "When I first began to work in clay, I was doing Raku firings. This process intrigued me with its unpredictable results.... how and where the smoke would mark the piece, the flashes of sporadic color, the look of age and wear. This held my attention for about a year. Then I started to become bored with the results, as they were limited in some ways. The one element that was still of great interest to me was the way carbon from the smoke would nest itself in different areas of the work. In many ways these markings from the smoke reminded me of illustrations. I had always enjoyed children's literature and the wonderful illustrations that graced the pages of these books, the vivid color that seemed to be washed over in a night sky. This was the look that I wanted to bring to my sculptural work."

"In order to achieve this look of illustration I stepped back to other mediums I had worked with before clay; acrylics, color pencils, India inks. Thinking that since these are many of the mediums used in the illustrations I loved so much, why wouldn't they work the same way on my clay? This began a new technique for me to work with, ever evolving, ever adding new media, working under the premise of whatever will bring the desired results. The ends justify the means."

Represented in a large number of juried shows throughout the United States, Ms. Gibbons has received many awards, has been successfully active in Arts Council residencies, summer workshops and served as an instructor at the Colorado Institute of Art and Ft. Hays University, Ft. Hays, Kansas. She has also enjoyed publication in Ceramics Monthly and The Ceramic Design.

With rare piquancy the unique qualities of Ms. Gibbons work create a space of their own.