thank you marie gibbons

It’s been a full week for DAM: The blog marked it’s 4th anniversary with a new web design and the announcement of new adventures on the horizon.

[nonmember]This archived post is for Members Only. Click here to become a member or to get a one day pass. If you are a member, please login to view the post. [/nonmember] [private_archives]Long walks on the rocky beach below my window have given me much needed time to reflect on how I (and DAM) got here.  I shared some of the journey in a previous post two years ago and today I want to revisit one of the artists who provided the initial inspiration for this blog.

A Swimmerball, from the Float series

“Growing up on Long Island, NY, I spent the first 21 years of my life on the water, or beach. I relocated to Colorado in 1977…still on dry ground, I find that I still think in a way based on those early coastal experiences. Constantly examining the relationship of human being to ocean and the separate but connected worlds we share. Being distanced physically from the ocean has enhanced my memories, and brought more meaning to these connections. I find the parallels of survival in water to that of survival in life profound. The most basic lesson that the water provided me personally was that of learning how to relax and trust it, realizing that once I did I would float.” Marie Gibbons

Before there was a Daily Art Muse there were four very-large-white-three-ring-binders filled with images of art that inspired and motivated me.  The images, collected from the internet over a period of two years, were safely tucked into plastic page protectors. They were my own private art exhibit.  I would take out several at a time and pin them on the wall as I worked on making art – they surrounded me with inspiration and beauty. There was one artist whose images stayed up while others rotated in and out of the binders. Something about the art spoke to me then and it continues to speak to me now – even as her work evolved, grew and changed.  Marie Gibbons is one of the reasons there is a Daily Art Muse.  It was work like hers that I wanted to share. The images that surrounded me back then were from Gibbons’ now retired Float series, and in October 2006 I wrote a post about the Swimmerballs pictured above.

Sole Purpose

Gibbons started out working in metals creating hand fabricated jewelry pieces. She fell in love with clay first by watching two clay artist friends sculpt the material in the cooperative gallery where they were all members.  From the moment one of her friends handed her a lump of clay to play with she was hooked.

Divine

She draws from personal experiences and memories to create the hand-built narrative sculptures. Using techniques such as pinch, slab, coil or 2-part press molds (slabs pressed and the pieces assembled and altered), Gibbons often includes found objects or mixed media.  Almost all of the work is finished post-firing with acrylic paints, washes and/or encaustic waxes.

You can read more about the artist in this interview.

Words, porcelain doll bust , altered book, found and made objects, bee’s wax

In addition to teaching in her Colorado studio, Marie also teaches some great online classes - affordable too. You should take one – or three. I did – and I loved them.  The classes are a mix of video, PDF’s (her PDF’s are great!) and community (it’s a Ning site).  Not limited to earthen clay, the classes are appropriate for air dry clay, polymer clay…and just a heck of a lot of affordable fun.

Hand Birds…not your elementary school Thanksgiving project!

In November she will be offering a HandBird class – here’s an excerpt from the class description:

“You will learn how to make a plaster mold of your hand, or someone else’s should you prefer, and then use that mold to press clay into and build a beautiful, personal piece suitable for wall hanging.  Molds can be used over and over, clay can be manipulated into different poses, the possibilities are endless!!  We will also work with acrylic washes to color your finished piece. Instructions will be in video and text format, and will post by 2pm on Saturday, Nov. 27th.”

Register for this class…or any of her other classes…right here.

Many thanks to Marie Gibbons for inspiring me to reach, stretch, change and share my finds with the world.

Milagro Series

Crisis

“My work is generated, inspired, instilled in me by my experiences.  These experiences then take on form and metaphor to bring the narrative to you, the viewer.  I work with combinations of figurative and/or organic forms… telling my stories, sharing my memories, reaching out to the memories and experiences of others. The first works in a new series usually become obsessive for me, long days and constant thought about where this new work will go.  Typically, I will work this way for at least a week or two straight, creating a minimum of 5 – 7 pieces.” Marie Gibbons

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