Mavis Abel Gibson was born in Saskatchewan, Canada, and brought up in the midwestern United States. Her painting career follows three decades’ experience in the field of architecture as a professional interior designer. During her design career she was affiliated with nationally recognized architectural firms when she designed facilities ranging in size from a single office to over a million square feet. In the role of project designer, it was her responsibility to establish and develop the concept for the design of each project, including not only the creation of volumes of space but also the interior architectural definition, color and material palette, furniture and furnishings.
Mavis has traveled extensively outside the United States and over the years made France her home-away-from-home. In the course of her travels, she journeyed throughout Turkey, from Istanbul to the Soviet border in the east to the Mediterranean in the south. While working with the Department of State in Washington, DC, she was sent to work on the US embassy in Mogadishu, Somalia, just to watch it be destroyed during the war after returning home.
She began painting in 2009 after spending time working with an artist in the south of France. Following which, in 2010, she studied at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris. Paris- the texture of the city, its intrinsic romance with the arts, its history, architecture and light- continues to exert its influence on her work. After returning to Florida she continued the development of her work in classes with internationally recognized artists including Kirk Ke Wang and Robert Liberace. Mavis currently maintains a studio in St. Petersburg, Florida.