When Robyn Gibson first stepped into a boxing gym, she found more than a new workout.
The Kentucky artist discovered a source of movement, confidence, and healing that now influences her charcoal drawings and ceramic sculptures.
Through curvy, gestural female figures, Gibson explores the power of taking up space, a theme rooted in both her artistic practice and her time in the ring.
Artist: Gibson was born in West Palm Beach, FL, and moved to Louisville, KY, with her mother when she was in the second grade.
She graduated from the University of Louisville with a BFA and moved to New York in 2016 to attend the New York Academy of Art, where she earned her MFA in painting.
After Covid interrupted a clay residency in Florida, and Gibson experienced the deaths of her grandmother and uncle, she moved back to Louisville to heal and regroup.
In addition to her art practice, Gibson hosts “Art by Volume,” an art-centered podcast produced by WheelHouse Art and presented by the Wine Room. The podcast highlights artists and other creatives in Louisville. Find it on: YouTube: @hellowheelhouse.
Studio: Gibson’s RAG Studio is located in Butchertown, Louisville’s original meatpacking district.
“It’s not just a work space for me,” said Gibson. “I come here when I need time to myself. It is my safe space, my creative space, my quiet space, my spiritual space, and my production space all in one.”
In the beginning: In the third grade, Gibson got her art start with the long-running program, Children’s Fine Art Classes (CFAC), offered by Louisville Visual Art.
Her first art teacher, Mrs. Wilma Bethel, has been an incredible guiding light in Gibson’s life.
“Because of her class, art has always been a refuge for me,” said Gibson. “I was part of CFAC until I graduated high school.”
Art & materials:
- Painterly drawings on newsprint ($100 and up) and drawings on canvas using charcoal, black tea, gesso and root colors. ($150 to $4,800). Drawings feature large, abstract female forms, often pushing or pulling each other or boxing.
- Ceramic work, including functional pieces, in various shapes and sizes ($45 to $1,800). Many of her ceramic pieces mimic the drawings she makes.
Themes: Healing.
“I use movement, the female form and often boxing as a vehicle for this,” said Gibson, who began boxing in 2016 and almost immediately started incorporating it into her art practice.
“I realized I was discovering a new part of myself through my boxing practice,” said Gibson, who still boxes today.
Favorite tools:
- Vine charcoal: The feel of it and how it moves.
- Ribs from Mud Tools.
“They have a range for every ceramic need,” said Gibson. “I love the small ones because I can get in hard to reach or awkward places and create the shapes I want.”
Inspirations:
- Gesture! Movement!
“I love looking at artists’ preliminary sketches when they’re working through ideas,” said Gibson. “Those drawings are so full of energy.”
- Comic books and seeing how those artists draw figures in motion.
Recent honors: Louisville Visual Art’s Emerging Artist Award. 2026.
Recent project: “A Table of Our Own,” a group pop-up exhibition in collaboration with the Detroit Black Community Food Sovereignty Network during the 2026 NCECA Conference.
The exhibition featured five Black ceramic artists exploring food insecurity, ancestral resilience and self-determined spaces through a curated sensory-rich dining installation rooted in Detroit’s cultural history.
What’s new: “Girl Crush,” a group show celebrating the work of more than 70 Louisville female artists at the KMAC Contemporary Art Museum. Through August 30.
Where to buy:
- Artist website: robynalecegibson.com.
- WheelHouse Art in Lexington and Louisville.
Connect:
- Instagram: @theartist_rag.
