Libby Bourquin graduated from the School of Fine Arts, Boston where she had majored in printmaking. Over the years, she used her interest in art in various ways. Initially she taught art and in her time off created prints in her studio. Favorite forms of printmaking were woodcuts, silk screens and lithography which she showed with the Boston Printmakers. Then she took up weaving and became a member of the Weavers Guild of Boston and has been active in that organization. Sprinkled throughout the years has been a love of photography but also a desire to paint, a desire that became reality when she joined forces with an art school buddy who invited Libby to paint with her in her studio in Topsfield in 2004. Libby visits her friend's studio every Monday and they paint with acrylics. Sometimes her friend comes to Harvard for outdoor sketching and painting. This arrangement has proved mutually beneficial. Once a year the friends, along with their sisters and sometimes other artists have a show at the Topsfield Library.

The painting 'Shadows on Tree Trunks at Delaney' below was done in 2006. Libby explains, "It came about after an early morning spring walk where I had seen a sight like this. I stopped, looked and observed and the next time I started a painting this was the result. My paintings are usually from what I have seen. I do not copy photographs but use photography for details, structure and as a reminder. Composition and colors come from my memory or inclination."

Another painting here entitled 'Green Berries' (2006), was inspired from a plant she saw in Costa Rica. "It certainly was not meant for botanical study as it doesn’t resemble the plant very accurately. That is the fun of painting; what you see, what you draw, what you imagine are starting points and from them you are free to go where they take you. An idea can come from anywhere and most of mine come from a lifetime of observing nature. I have been fortunate to live in places where I can be in nature to study and observe. Identifying birds, flowers, trees and anything else has always been part of my life." Of another painting below,' Tropical Plant' (2006), Libby says, "This is an example of letting imagination take over and enjoying color. One of my greatest pleasures in painting is using color, seeing how they work together, undercoating, applying glazes and the effects of warm and cool. The possibilities are endless and often surprising."

Then there is light; it’s all about light and that is usually the first consideration in painting. With it depth and dimension are defined, the breath of life is added, and emotion is suggested. In a forest scene reflected and bounced light as well as direct light are to be captured, if you can. To catch the shimmering moment in time of any scene is the objective, sometimes attained in varying degrees, but not always. Artists are seldom completely satisfied; that’s what keeps us going. There are so many trees yet to be painted... and plants and landscapes... that I will be kept busy for many years. I don’t expect to run out of ideas. Subject matter is infinite!"

Libby exhibited her paintings in the recent For Art's Sake Community Exhibition at the old library. We'll look forward to seeing more of her work. To contact her send email to: libbycb912@charter.net.