About

Duality has been a driving force in my art through much of my painting career.  Whether that is in a more direct representation with multiple imagery of my graduate and post graduate work or with a more internal struggle with the push and pull of beauty versus repulsion.

My most recent work deals with a modern twist on a classic.  In the spirit of master trompe l’œil artists, my paintings mimic the posters that adorn boarded up businesses and construction sites.  There is something about the grittiness of the city underlying these models that seductively pose for perfume and clothing advertisements for me.  I found myself caught up in the ever changing mini-murals that layer upon themselves, creating a rich history and texture all around us.  I replaced the models with people close to me.  I replace the words with phrases that are more meaningful.  Sure there are hints of consumerism and capitalism, of the bombardment of advertisements.  But this was a new avenue to explore my work with the portrait, an ever present subject matter in my work.

Many different media exist in my toolbox but oil paint is my main mode of storytelling. The paintings have a life of their own that exists past the initial photographs and sketches that inspire them. The handling of the paint shows the motion of the arm as it manipulates the brush. The finished work provokes the viewer to find the balance within duality.

Libby was born and now resides in Philadelphia.  He has also lived and worked in Lancaster, and Phoenixville.  Libby received his Masters of Fine Arts in painting from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia in 2011.  He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts in painting and a Bachelors of Science in Art Education in 2006 from Millersville University.  Currently, he serves as lead art instructor at Perkiomen Valley High School in Collegeville, Pennsylvania.