Libby Mitchell is a contemporary painter based in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Her work juxtaposes bold, colorful figures, against geometric backgrounds that create depth and perspective. She started painting on recycled material during the 2020 Covid lockdown and has continued to work on non-traditional surfaces.
She attended the University of California at Berkeley where she received her Bachelors of Fine Art. There Libby was able to study under many notable artists, including Katherine Sherwood, Richard Shaw, Jane Rosen, Mary Lovelace O'Neal and John McNamara.
Upon graduation, she launched a career in marketing and event planning for Sotheby’s, Electronic Arts, Ubi Soft and several internet start ups. Even as she found great success in her career, painting has remained her passion and she devoted as much time as she could find to honing her craft. Today she paints full time in her studio, located on their small mountain farm, where she lives with her husband Ben and their dog Wally.
Libby’s work is included in corporate collections at Lululemon and the Jelly Bean Factory as well as private collections in California, Idaho, Utah, Georgia and Florida.
"Painting is a spiritual practice for me, and my creative drive is about connecting with my subconscious, and finding new ways to express joy, awe, and freedom. The best days in the studio achieve that connection in much the same way that meditation or a walk in the woods can. I feel I’ve done it right when people smile the first time they see a painting, and if they find something new each time they see it after.”
CV
Education
Bachelors of Fine Art, UC Berkeley
Syracuse University’s Fine Art studio in Florence, Italy
Selected Group Exhibitions
2024 - Valley Art - SLV Art Tour, Felton Library, CA
2023 - “Small Works” Radius Gallery, Santa Cruz, CA
2023 - Santa Cruz Arts Council Open Studios
2023 - “Delicious” STUDIO Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 - “Moda Botanica” Radian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2023 - “RE:Visit, RE:Work, RE:Claim” Radian Gallery, San Francisco, CA
2020 - “Into the Woods” Elliott Fouts Gallery, Sacramento, CA
2016 - “Candypalooza” Jelly Bean Factory, Fairfield, CA
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2023 - “Scouts and Starlets” Santa Cruz, CA