ARTIST BIO

Libby Sipe (b. 1987, Ohio) is a process-driven multidisciplinary artist pursuing a space for experimentation and exploration as she blurs the lines between painting and sculpture. Libby uses various tools to shape, mold, drip, and pipe paint into multiple shapes and textures to build depth and bring character to her works. Using a combination of paint skins made from acrylic polymer emulsion draped over foam and wire armatures embellished with an array of materials that include but are not limited to pigment dispersions, aggregate, ultralight, glass balls, semi-precious stones, oils, textiles, and found objects. Her work encompasses her experiences with poverty, child abuse, and sexual trauma.
The artist has participated in exhibitions at the Waterfall Arts, Belfast, curated by David Estey; Harlow Gallery, Harpswell, Maine; Tebbs Gallery, London; Visionary Art Collective, curated by Grace Lang; Dodomu Gallery, NYC. In 2021 Libby had her first solo exhibition at Kimball Street Studio in Lewiston, Maine. Her works have been in multiple art magazines. Her most recent article was in Winter Quarterly Maine Art Journal 2023. Libby currently lives in Southern Maine.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Through medium experimentation and play, I turn inwards to explore residual trauma from poverty, early childhood abuse, sexual assault, and the shame and self-resentment that come from those memories. Primarily focused in paint and sculpture, I create a colorful and whimsical world filled with 3d abstract representations of flora and fauna combined with traditional painting methods and the human figure. Made from thick acrylic modeling Polymer emulsion extruded from piping bags or sheets of dried acrylic binder draped over an armature or canvas, I layer, build, and paint pieces that speak to me.
I listen for the whispers from my work on long walks through the woods, picking up on the minor storylines unfolding within the undergrowth that inspire me as I ramble through the turf beneath the trees of the Maine woods or walk along a river in Cumbria watching sheep fluff stuck to barbed wire blowing in the breeze. These moments of quiet reflection and contemplation are the sparks that ignite my inspiration.
My spirituality has been essential to my work as I have evolved my practice. Like spell-making, I collect bits and pieces that call to me. These items become sacred, representing something more significant than what they are naturally. Combining my methods with my spirituality has led to work that is both beautiful and healing, allowing me to push past and even embrace parts of myself that I neglected for far too long.

Topsham, ME / United States