Libby Ware’s formative years were spent in the Bay Area of California. Her family moved to New York City when she was 11 and at the age of 12 she moved with her family to Kabul, Afghanistan. Over the next 12 years, shuttling between Afghanistan and the west coast of the United States, Libby traveled both East and West from Kabul. She visited many points in the East including Pakistan, India, Thailand, Hong Kong and Japan. During her travels she encountered exotic textures, sights, designs, and colors in the art and cottage industries as she traveled. In addition, she had her second encounter with Frank Lloyd Wright architecture at the Imperial Hotel, her first encounter having been the Civic Center in San Rafael, California. Libby has absorbed influences from many California-based artists including: Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler, Marcel Breuer, Arnaldo Pomodoro, Louise Nevelson, Juan Munoz, Richard Diebenkorn, Frank Stella, Victor Vasarely, Ellsworth Kelly, Josef Albers.
Having spent many years in California, Libby has developed a deep connection with the abstract and variable qualities of natural light, the geometry of the landscape and the rich mixing bowl of California cultures. Libby has studied art at the California College of Arts & Crafts, Corcoran College of Art and Design, American University, St. John’s College. Libby holds a B.A. in Human Relations from Golden Gate University.
Libby’s art began to unfold after early retirement from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts in Washington, D.C. Seeking a larger studio space she located a home and studio in central Florida. For the past 14 years she has been exhibited and published extensively. The majority of her work is in private art collections and major commercial settings.
Libby’s visual vocabulary is drawn from past experiences gained through her observations in her global travel. Shapes and colors found in plants, architecture, shadows and spaces in between all contribute to the final outcome of her work. She intends that viewers experience her artwork with instinctive, physical responses to the work’s structure, color and surrounding space.