Libby Smart was born in Greensboro N.C. and moved to Charlotte after finishing school in 1985. She loved art from a tender age and started her own decorative painting business in 1993 and continued it for 12 years then switched to fin art. Libby began her studies with local artist Andy Braitman and studied under him for 6 years. The artist has also taken workshops from several renowned artists around the country. Libby’s unique style of painting can be recognized by the use of colorful palette and brushwork. She has been featured in Today’s Charlotte Women magazine and Charlotte Home Design magazine. She’s represented by several galleries in the southeast and also teaches workshops. Libby describes herself as a colorist who’s able to see beyond what most people see in nature.
She says that a painting is about color and brushwork, not just painting what the artist sees but making it exciting so the viewers is constantly intrigued. Her paintings draw the viewer into a painting and this is what she thinks about, sometimes it's the subject matter she starts with but then the end result is how she places the brushstrokes and colors that make the painting come to life. Although her style has evolved and changed over the years and her approach has always been the same. Libby doesn't use a formula and never over-thinks what she’s working on, instead she tries and dives right in, letting it evolve. She says her approach is to find subject matter that speaks to her and then paints it with her own approach in mind.
