Sarah-Margaret Gibson

Sarah Margaret Gibson (b. 1988) is from Cincinnati, OH.

 

Sarah Margaret is a contemporary realist artist, specialising in portraits of people and birds. Characterised by a rich tenebrism, Gibson’s work dramatically juxtaposes light against shadow. She believes that light, and all of its symbolic qualities, are most poetic when contrasted against dark. Building up her paintings from a series of fine layers—contrasting heavy impastos against thin, delicate passages—she seeks to give her works a palpable depth and complexity. She aims to capture the personality and life-force of her subjects. Opening up a dialogue with nature through her work, she responds to what she finds beautiful and endeavours to communicate this through the medium of oil paint.

 

Gibson received her formal training in drawing and painting in Florence, Italy. She studied at the Angel Academy of Art from 2008-2010, and then completed the full three-year program at The Florence Academy of Art, from which she graduated in 2013. She taught at the Florence Academy's intermediate studio from 2012-2015. Over the course of her seven years in Florence, Gibson was profoundly influenced by the work and philosophy of the Old Masters and by the mentorship of great living artists such as Daniel Graves, founder of the Florence Academy.

 

Gibson currently lives on the West coast of Scotland with her husband and fellow Florence Academy Alumnus, Lee Craigmile. In 2019 they co-founded the Glasgow Academy of Fine Art, where Gibson acts as Academic Director. She splits her time between teaching at the Academy, painting in her private studio and fulfilling her responsibilities as Ambassador for The Prince’s Foundation.

 

Gibson's work is shown throughout the U.S. and Europe and can be found in both the New Britain Museum of American Art and in the New Salem Museum of Art, as well as in numerous private collections. 

* This statement has been provided directly by the artist in association to their 16^th International ARC Salon entries. This content has not been edited for typos or grammatical errors and has not been vetted for accuracy.