Art is fun for Matt Gibson.

Whether he is alone in his woodworking studio, teaching pottery to high school students or creating something in Play-Doh with his 2-year-old son, art always has entertained him.

Telegram photo / Joel Hodges (ENLARGE)

Matt Gibson sits Wednesday on a bench he made. A Regional Artist Project grant Gibson received will allow him to buy equipment he will use to add new elements to his woodwork.

"I enjoy working with it all actually. When I am working in ceramics, a lot of times I am thinking about projects that I'll build in wood, or I'll get different ideas when I am working. There is not really one that I like more," said Gibson of Rocky Mount.

For Gibson, who focuses mainly on functional pottery and fine wood furniture, the chance to try new ideas and designs always is thrilling. It is one of the reasons he was so excited when he heard he had received a grant that would allow him to try a new style of woodworking.

Gibson was one of 11 artists – and the only one from Nash County – to receive a 2007-08 Regional Artist Project grant from the Rocky Mount Arts Center. He received $900 to help pay for welding equipment to incorporate new elements into his woodwork.

"I was through the roof. I was pretty happy. ... It was just nice to be able to get those tools to experiment with welding and putting different elements together that I wouldn't normally have gone out and got," Gibson said. "It was just very nice to be able to try something different in my artwork."

Trying new things is something Gibson has always done as an artist, said Andrew Stephenson, a professional potter and friend since high school. The two took ceramics classes together at East Carolina University, and he always noticed that Gibson had his own style.

"He kind of goes with his own feelings. He has got a lot of energy to him, so he is always trying out all these different things. He is not afraid to experiment with his work," said Stephenson of Hendersonville.

Gibson's art is imaginative and whimsical, and he does not like to repeat himself when it comes to shape and design, said Kristin Gibson, his wife and an art teacher at Coopers Elementary School.

He applies that same sense of creativity and whimsy to everything in life.

"He sees art in everything. His outlook on life is he just looks at thing artistically. He is fun. He always has fun. He tries to make everything fun. That is one of his best qualities," she said.

Matt Gibson said his two sons are showing beginning signs of liking art, too. Skyler, 5, likes to create things on the pottery wheel alongside dad. Nash, 2, loves drawing and playing with Play-Doh.

"It is fun watching them work and just have fun with it. Whether they go on to be artists or what, who knows?" Gibson said.

- - -

One place Gibson knows he has had an influence on future artists is at Rocky Mount High School, where he has been an art teacher for six years. His classes range from ceramics to general art, which dabbles in a little bit of everything, including painting, print making and sculpture.

Even if he had the chance to become a full-time artist, he is not sure he would give up teaching.

"My personality is suited for kids in a way. I relate to them, and they relate to me; and I enjoy it. Granted, teaching is crazy, but I go back each day ready to rock 'n' roll and have a good time teaching the kids," Gibson said.

Lucy Mayo Adelman has had Gibson as a teacher for several art classes and is looking forward to taking Pottery II with him in the fall. She said he is a great mentor.

"He is really encouraging. He really understands. He lets me do my own thing, and he helps me through it. He gives me tips. He is just very positive and encouraging with my work," said Adelman, a rising junior.

It is a shame art is disappearing from so many schools across the country, because it can be such a positive influence on children, Gibson said.

"I think it gives them a release. It lets them relax and use the other side of their brain and maybe take a process with them that they'll have for the rest of their lives," Gibson said.