Visiting Artist Workshop: Sophie Gibson
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The Big Sprig: Relief Sculptures, Press Molds, and Iterative Thinking
Join us on Saturday, February 7 and Sunday February 8, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Dive into the art of sculptural relief in this immersive two-day workshop with visiting artist Sophie Gibson! Learn to sculpt dynamic images in mid to high relief, capturing depth and movement within compressed space. On the first day, you’ll translate photographs or objects into sculpted clay forms using oil-based plasticine, guided by classical modeling principles adapted from Edouard Lanteri.
On day two, you’ll turn your relief into a functional press mold—an efficient way to reproduce and experiment with your designs. Explore creative surface techniques like color-layering, marbling, and texture-building while discovering how iterative making can expand your sculptural vocabulary.
Whether you’re interested in testing glazes, creating modular components, or making wall-ready art pieces, there are endless possibilities for experimentation and play.
Sophie Gibson (b. 1993) is a figurative ceramic sculptor from Charlottesville, VA. Gibson holds an MFA in Ceramic Art from the New York State College of Ceramics, a B.F.A. in Illustration from the Rhode Island School of Design, and a B.A. in History from Brown University. Gibson has been awarded residencies at the Red Lodge Clay Center and Cordova Studios. Collected by the Alfred Ceramic Art Museum, her work has also been exhibited in galleries throughout the eastern United States including the Jane Hartsook Gallery (NY), Fosdick-Nelson Gallery (NY), Ethel Sergeant Clark Smith Gallery (PA), The Visual Arts Center of Richmond (VA), Chroma Projects (VA), Second Street Gallery (VA), Gallery 130 (MS), and Granhoff Center for the Creative Arts (RI). Gibson currently lives and works in Connecticut, where she serves as the Full-time Ceramic Faculty in the Visual Arts Department at the Loomis Chaffee School.
