Thank you for taking the time to view my work. Getting to know an artist and learning about what they do is an important component to enjoying the art that they make. Please read on to see what it is all about.
What is this art about?/Artist statement:
When I was a kid, I enjoyed working on puzzles. These were the type with about 1000 pieces inside the box and a picture on the front showing the final image. Trying to find the right piece to fit in the right place was a challenge but in the end, the picture eventually appeared and the puzzle was finished.
Today, this idea of putting together a puzzle is how I think of what I love to do as an artist. Rather than using literal puzzle pieces though, I use images, words, and patterns to express what I am thinking. Those everyday components are often built from color, line, and shape. When you think about it and start looking around, you will notice that all images are built from these elements, whether it is a landscape, a written sentence in a magazine, or a splash of color on a page. The creative part of me wonders how all of those elements fit together. That's where the collages come into play. I feel it's my job, creatively speaking, to bring some order to the different things that I see: the myriad of colors, shapes, and lines. It's just all a giant puzzle waiting to be solved.
Where do my ideas come from? I think every creative type gets asked this question at some point. I do a fair amount of reading, mostly about science based topics. I also like documentaries and I like having conversations with people about things that are happening in the world. I enjoy looking at magazines and images that I find online. Every so often, as I gather materials, a thought or an image will come to me. It's almost like all of the materials I have scooped up have something in common. That commonality gets me excited and serves as the impetus to begin a piece. As I work, things change. I move pieces around until things fit. The final collage may have nothing to do with the initial idea but it doesn't really matter. I let the materials that I have gathered do the talking. Those materials determine how things turn out. Ultimately, much of what I do is an effort to bring my impressions and ideas into the world, in some tangible way. Those things (impressions and ideas) are like puzzle pieces to me. I find that making art is a way to gather them all up and make some sense out of things, to create a pleasing final image and to solve the "puzzle".
Artist's Bio and Influences:
(written in the third person because it's expected and oh so real!)
Libby Fife earned her B.A. degree in Psychology from Cal State University, Hayward and worked for 17 years in the banking industry. A layoff in 2007 prompted her to re evaluate her path and to look seriously at doing something more creative. Over the years, Libby has worked in several mediums in an effort to find just the right "fit." Quilting, basic printmaking, painting, and most recently collage, have all played a part in her current direction of making art.
At this stage of the game, working directly with paper and glue and paint allows for the greatest expression. With those tools, things can be changed endlessly and the collage will emerge. Something meaningful and pleasing has been achieved. The process is very much like solving a puzzle. The finished collage painting is very satisfying in this regard.
An ongoing effort to learn about design and composition, art history and the language of creativity, has led Libby to her current level of work. She has sold her work both in and out of the county where she lives and has exhibited her paintings in local shows. Additionally, Libby has taught classes in sketching and color use to beginning/intermediate painters. Currently, Libby shows her work on this website. Subscribing to the monthly newsletter or adding this site to a feed reader is the best way to keep up.
When I was a kid, I enjoyed working on puzzles. These were the type with about 1000 pieces inside the box and a picture on the front showing the final image. Trying to find the right piece to fit in the right place was a challenge but in the end, the picture eventually appeared and the puzzle was finished.
Today, this idea of putting together a puzzle is how I think of what I love to do as an artist. Rather than using literal puzzle pieces though, I use images, words, and patterns to express what I am thinking. Those everyday components are often built from color, line, and shape. When you think about it and start looking around, you will notice that all images are built from these elements, whether it is a landscape, a written sentence in a magazine, or a splash of color on a page. The creative part of me wonders how all of those elements fit together. That's where the collages come into play. I feel it's my job, creatively speaking, to bring some order to the different things that I see: the myriad of colors, shapes, and lines. It's just all a giant puzzle waiting to be solved.
Where do my ideas come from? I think every creative type gets asked this question at some point. I do a fair amount of reading, mostly about science based topics. I also like documentaries and I like having conversations with people about things that are happening in the world. I enjoy looking at magazines and images that I find online. Every so often, as I gather materials, a thought or an image will come to me. It's almost like all of the materials I have scooped up have something in common. That commonality gets me excited and serves as the impetus to begin a piece. As I work, things change. I move pieces around until things fit. The final collage may have nothing to do with the initial idea but it doesn't really matter. I let the materials that I have gathered do the talking. Those materials determine how things turn out. Ultimately, much of what I do is an effort to bring my impressions and ideas into the world, in some tangible way. Those things (impressions and ideas) are like puzzle pieces to me. I find that making art is a way to gather them all up and make some sense out of things, to create a pleasing final image and to solve the "puzzle".
Artist's Bio and Influences:
(written in the third person because it's expected and oh so real!)
Libby Fife earned her B.A. degree in Psychology from Cal State University, Hayward and worked for 17 years in the banking industry. A layoff in 2007 prompted her to re evaluate her path and to look seriously at doing something more creative. Over the years, Libby has worked in several mediums in an effort to find just the right "fit." Quilting, basic printmaking, painting, and most recently collage, have all played a part in her current direction of making art.
At this stage of the game, working directly with paper and glue and paint allows for the greatest expression. With those tools, things can be changed endlessly and the collage will emerge. Something meaningful and pleasing has been achieved. The process is very much like solving a puzzle. The finished collage painting is very satisfying in this regard.
An ongoing effort to learn about design and composition, art history and the language of creativity, has led Libby to her current level of work. She has sold her work both in and out of the county where she lives and has exhibited her paintings in local shows. Additionally, Libby has taught classes in sketching and color use to beginning/intermediate painters. Currently, Libby shows her work on this website. Subscribing to the monthly newsletter or adding this site to a feed reader is the best way to keep up.
