Libby Paradis

Libby first came to our attention as a finalist in our inaugural Unearthed Art Prize in 2020. She paints contemporary realism with a focus on drawing, tone and glazing. She adores the buttery texture and luminous quality of oil paint.

Libby works from the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, alongside her dog, Rosie, who sleeps at the base of her easel. With her art, Libby hopes to feed the soul - to bottle happiness, to help people appreciate simple and ordinary parts of life, to present beauty and elegance, to help people find balance through adding to their walls what might be missing in their lives and to help people experience the loveliness of quiet (found when enjoying all the detail).

She has studied with some of Melbourne’s leading classical teachers under whom she honed her “finished” technique. Libby admires and is influenced by the work of masters such as Botticelli, Caravaggio, Vigée Le Brun and Sargent and contemporary Australian artists including Cressida Campbell, Andrew Bonneau , Laura White, Ebony Taylor and Llael McDonald. She is influenced by photographer Jamie Beck, who is based in Provence.

Painting is Libby’s calling, it gives her life meaning. She drew from a young age and after trying several “sensible” careers, came back to art. She feels it is her destiny. Libby’s works are held in collections in England, France and Japan as well as throughout Australia.