Werxzovart, the pseudonym for artist Sonje Hibbert, was established in 1996, in an olde granite cottage studio, in a tin mining cliff side hamlet on the wild Atlantic coast of West Penwith, Cornwall UK.
The artist herself, was born in Scotland, on the outskirts of Glasgow in 1964, with family roots extending from the industrial townships & moorland valleys of the South Pennines UK, to the windswept archipelago of Shetland right up there in the North Atlantic Sea. A viking ancestry no doubt, however Sonje was brought up and educated in Malawi & Hong Kong. With dirt road, dust filled, family car trajectories through South East Africa, epic overland travels across both West & East Asia and tropical climes being the familiar until around her mid twenties in 1990. Its safe to say a lot happened on this road well travelled, buoyed on from a childhood injected with extraordinary adventures to blow the mind! In 1991, after five years solo trans global exploration; alternatively living, working and travelling in Israel, India, South East Asia through to Australia and NZ; a life changing road traffic accident in the UK brought sharper focus to pursue her artistic career; and nuture the creative expression that was powered by these inspiring journeys around the world.
Driven by unapologetic escapism from this increasingly uncompromising world; fearful of becoming an indifferent barnacle in her rock obsessive mode; the creative expression unfurls as a narrative- in her nomadic modus operandi; an adventurous and continually evolving quest for self. By immersing herself in dramatic landscapes, either vast and barren, or geographically obscure, the relationship of place and emotion can only then be felt. Sometimes the artistic expression is an existential impression, sometimes not. The work offered is visceral, with personal & artistic boundaries being stretched: at times, in both, a seemingly fearless potentially reckless, risk taking mode.
Working as an artist for over thirty years, with a solo showcase from 2013 -2021 in the very successful self owned Werxzovart Studio Gallery in Haworth, W. Yorkshire: artistic production focused on large-scale expressions, offering exaggerated representations in ceramic of The Jug and unique acrylic painted mixed media wall mounted contemporary designs. In addition to these, and since completing the Masters Degree in 2003, research has evloved around the language of the nature of clay. Creating pieces which are less about manipulating clay material and more about the receptive nature of its content and where that content has originated from. Complimenting these very sought after ceramics, the large acrylic painted wall panels feature natural elements taken from the land that inspired them. The work at times combining steel & ceramic: many are then framed with a considered brace of recycled lead.
All of the unique artworks are highly collectable and which have been paramount in supporting this enigmatic & nomadic way. Inspiration is currently nurtured between adventurous overland trajectories across Central & Southern Africa; and the ongoing research into her ancestral roots, set within the equally fascinating geological phenomena of the northern most islands of the UK, Shetland.
The studio gallery currently sleeps, however, artworks that are available can be viewed on this website under artworks for sale. Please get in touch for inquiries and purchase. More information coming soon, with all inquiries for art work purchase, travel updates most welcome.
