Artists & Groups

Libby Mitchell is a British landscape photographer, painter and installation artist. Having completed an Advanced Diploma of Visual Art at Latrobe College of Art and Design in Melbourne, Australia, she now resides in New Zealand, taking inspiration for her Art from the bush and her time working as a landscaper. Mitchell has held solo shows and been part of group exhibitions internationally since 2016.

Libby took advantage of her time in Australia to recreate immersive landscape paintings after circumnavigating the country, taking note of the variety of landscape from baron Pindan deserts of the far north, to the dense, lush, misty forests of Tasmania. Her paintings are influenced by her sketches and panoramic photography, capturing the essence of the bush.

"Humans are in fact the endangered species, because we have stepped out of nature."- David Sheldrick.

Wildlife and the environment has always been something that fuels me and my practice. Before I started painting landscapes, there had always been a lingering feeling I had struggled to put into words for so long when I was completely alone in amongst nature. It took one word to change my life as I knew it - immersion.

My colour palette to me is a reflection of my own experiences of feeling completely immersed in nature. I associate my colours with memories, sounds, smells... the sensation of touching everything around me, feelings and emotions. My paintings are a reflection of the deep rooted connection and appreciation I feel our earth, it's ability to regenerate, constant growth.. valuable ideas we can interpret into our own ever-changing lives. I love the romance, the colours and smells of the bush - it's always such a sublime feeling. I guess you could call it a meditative experience. People have different interpretations of meditation, everyone's is unique. Mine is touching the leaves, absorbing the textures of the earth, listening to all those different sounds water can make as it runs down a stream, the sound of a breeze in the trees. I can just sit for hours and observe all those amazing chemical reactions in my body of just sheer joy. It's the only time my mind is ever truly free.

I've definitely found Art has saved me and my mental health on several occasions. While the worldwide population continues to grow - wildlife suffers and forests are demolished to make way for housing and farming, the need for conservation is at an all time high. Having that damage presented to us countless times a day via media or some form of screen, it's undeniably traumatic. It wasn't until recently in my Art Therapy studies I discovered people can suffer PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) as a result of environmental damage. When we're hurting, one of the most common things we're told is to get out in nature. In Japan, time outdoors is prescribed as appose to medicine/anti-depressants.. It is incredibly healing, and what do we do if it's not there anymore?

The way we are living and continue to live will be detrimental to the natural world. We've forgotten how to interact with our world in a healthy way. We need to re-establish a bond to our surroundings if it is to survive. I hope that is just one thing people can take away from my art. 

My approach to Art has become far more about the emotional and psychological benefits of Art Therapy and I really hope that will come across not only in my Art but my workshop sessions. While obviously we all want to make beautiful art, what I really want to focus on is guiding people towards techniques, connections to other artists and materials that identify with the individual on an emotional and psychological level. Sessions will be made suitable for all ages, first-timers, already practicing artists or just for fun.

• Disciplines:
• Painting
• Photography