Creative Cousins

Actors, Artists, Artisans and Authors

While the Gibbs families have a rich history of Merchants, Bankers, Soldiers and Clergy, many cousins have channelled their energies into other creative careers or hobbies. To kick this off I have listed a few that I know of, but please do let me know of other family members who would like to be recognised for their talents here, so that we can all share in the creativity of our cousins.

Actors
  • Andrew Woodall is an actor with the Royal Shakespeare Company, in the title role in Julius Caesar and Enobarbus in Anthony & Cleopatra.
  • Pip Brignall is an English actor, born in Peru, where his parents Claire and Simon are working with the church. He is currently producing a play about Conchita Cintron, the Latin bullfighter, and in discussions with various venues and festivals in South America for a tour in 2019.
  • Polly Misch graduated from RADA and recently completed her first professional tour with Jane Austin’s Emma. All the family went to see her last night at the Cambridge Arts Theatre. 
  • TV presenter and comedian Alexander Armstrong lurks in the remote branches of the tree.
Artists – musical
  • Charlie Gibbs-Henny, Sarah’s son, plays drums and vocals in a Brighton band called Jipsy Magic, and got married last year to Holly.
  • Tom Misch is having great success with his Tom Misch Band, filling a Somerset House concert, has a great new single about living “South of the River” in London and an album “Geography“, and touring Europe, Asia and USA. Included in Vogue 50 Hottest Boys in the World 2018. His 2020 Album “What Kinda Music” with jazz drummer Yussef Dayes reached #2 in the UK Album Charts.
  • Laura Misch has a new album release this month (October 2023) “Sample the Sky” with European and UK tour in Nov/Dec. Listen to the album on Spotify.
  • Professor Francis Pott is a Composer and Pianist whose compositions have been performed in over 40 countries and widely published with over 30 recordings. The Oxford chamber choir Commotio recorded 2 works in Keble College Chapel, to be released as a CD, under the title “At First Light”. Full details of Francis and his Compositions and Recordings can be found at https://www.francispott.com  
Artists – art
  • Nicholas Roland Gibbs has had several exhibitions of his works  London galleries and the Imperial War Museum, on Balkans conflict paintings and his travels.
  • Lucinda Jane Gibbs (born in Zimbabwe, currently living in Paris) shared an exhibition with Nicholas R Gibbs in London last year.
  • Leonie Gibbs, (née Fox-Pitt) is a sculptress and a painter living on the north of Scotland on the Belladrum Estate with husband Joe.
  • Carol Misch (nee Gibbs), has painted album covers for son Tom Misch, and created a glass double helix DNA sculpture, commissioned in memory of those children who died at the Evelina Children’s Hospital before it was relocated from the Guy’s to the St Thomas’ site in 2005.
  • Claire Minter-Kemp, grand-daughter of Denis Lucius Gibbs, paints, sculpts and draws humorous cards from her studio, which she and husband Tom sell from their gallery and shop on the main square in Ludlow.
  • Margaret Gibbs (my mum) discovered her artist talent later in life when she started going to a Thursday art group under the South African painter Cecily Sash near Kington. Prior to that we all though my father was the family artist with his lino cuts and frequent sketches.
  • Emily Jo Gibbs, daughter of Antony Richard Gibbs, has received significant acclaim for her delicate textiles, with her work in the V&A and other museums. Her latest body of portrait work The Value of Making depicts hand-stitched still life portraits in a collage of silk organza.
  • Sophy Rickett, great grand-daughter of Agnes Hilda Gibbs currently has a solo exhibition in Swansea – “Cupid and the Curious Moaning of Kenfig Burrows” – the remote world of Victorian privilege and early photography inspired by 19thC Welsh artist and astronomer Thereza Dillwyn Llewelyn. An accompanying book of photo images
  • Annabel Gault (Franklin), daughter of David Gault, is a renowned Suffolk artist; inspired by her garden at Knodishall Hall, Saxmundham tended by her husband. Drawing os Suffolk and the Australian Outback. Her work is held in public collections including the Arts Council of Great Britain and The British Museum. Find more here.
  • Katherine (Kate) Hamilton (Gault), second daughter of David Gault, started with dance companies, before becoming a full time painter living in Italy, Pyrenees then Mallorca, and now Reydon near Southwold in Suffolk. Has exhibited widely including in Royal Academy. More at https://katehamiltonartist.co.uk
Artisans
Authors
  • Ian Antony Gibbs has published the first 2 volumes of his victorian fantasy odyssey “Newearth Trilogy” under the name “Ian Antony”. He also previously formed the Guildford punk band “Milhouse”.
  • Tony Gibbs has released his first novel, Soul Mates – “  seamless integration of science fact and supposition” as a motoring accident changed everything for Tom. Available on Amazon. Tony mentioned that his nephew Ian (son of Raymond) had just launched a novel on Amazon, but I don’t have any details.
  • Lucy Moore (Gibbs) is the author of 9 historical novels as well as a television presenter.
  • Davina Merry, Joe Gibbs’ mother, launching her first novel last year at the age of 83: ‘A Girl In Time’ Set over the 1920’s to the 1980’s chronicling the love, loss and betrayal across three generations of family life in and around their grand family home of Merlinstone in Scotland.
  • James Woodall is the author of four non-fiction books published in the 1990s, on, respectively, Spain, Argentina, Rio de Janeiro and The Beatles. For over 25 years he has been a freelance editor, writer and journalist, contributing regularly in the past 10 years to publications such as The Economist and The Spectator. Between 2014 and 2017, three new digital books on The Beatles – Kindle Singles – appeared with Amazon. Since October 2017 he has been a Royal Literary Fund Fellow in the teaching of writing at Magdalene College, Cambridge.
  • And if you dig deep into the fringes of the tree you can find Mr. 007.