Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Gibson traveled to Florence Italy at the age of eighteen to receive her formal training in art from the Florence Academy of Art. Over the course of her seven years in Florence, Gibson became profoundly influenced by the work and philosophy of the Old Masters—and particularly the idea that art is an essential aspect of both a full  life and a progressive society.

Gibson’s work often dramatically juxtaposes light against shadow. She believes that light, and all of its symbolic qualities, are better appreciated when contrasted against dark.