25 Saturday Aug 2018
Posted in art, In My Studio, Inspiration, Uncategorized
Tags
art, art collector, artist, delphiniums, femal artist, flowers, moonlight, original art, painting, Philadelphia artist, summer, swimming
Work in progress. A small study, painting from the imagination. Summer feeling. The white spaces in the painting will be gilded with gold once the paint is dry enough for the process. I wanted to capture the joyous feeling of life in the summer. Oil on board.
08 Wednesday Aug 2018
Posted in art, In My Studio, Inspiration, lifestyle, Uncategorized
Tags
art, art deco, artist, beauty, butterfly, creative, creativity, female artist, femaleartist, interior design, life cycle, original art, Philadelphia artist, romantic, romantic living, victorian style
Beauty and texture and life encircled and distilled within a frame…sparkles and glimmers, rough paint that feels like sand and brilliant glimmers like dewdrops. Butterflies (humanely harvested after their natural life cycle) captured and preserved in this piece. “Morning,” a mixed media I recently created…email me at jlibor@jessicalibor.com if you are interested in purchasing this piece.
10 Thursday May 2018
Posted in art, Exhibitions, In My Studio, Inspiration, Journeys, Uncategorized
Tags
art exhibition, female artist, inspiration, jessica libor, Let’s Connect Philly, oil painter, Philadelphia artist, philadelphia museum of art, renoir, statistics art, the Barnes foundation, women's statistics artists
Jessica Libor at the Barnes Foundation with her piece, “Madame”, oil on canvas, 8″ x 10″
May I share something with you? Recently I read several articles about studies done in the art world. These studies gave details and statistics that are upsetting for women artists.
These statistics are taken from the artnet Analytics and Maastricht University study joint conducted in November 2017. This study has been described as the largest empiracal study ever conducted on gender discrimination in the cultural sector.
As a female artist entrenched in the art world, it was deeply frustrating and upsetting to read this. It can feel like you are fighting an uphill battle.
Post-war artist Georg Baselitz, whose paintings have sold at auction for 3.2 million pounds, went as far to say on record recently that “Women don’t paint very well. It’s a fact.”
At the Saatchi Gallery, right before Jenny Saville’s first exhibit, art critic David Sylvester said he “Always thought women couldn’t be painters,” because “that’s the way it has always been.”
In 1937, when speaking of Lee Krasner’s paintings, artist Hans Hofmann said her artwork was “So good, you would not know it was painted by a woman.”
(source, Independent Newspaper)
It has been assumed that attitudes towards women in the arts have changed since 1937, but the numbers still show a great discrepancy. Why is this? And more importantly, what can we do about it?
If you’re anything like me, this attitude makes me want to prove them wrong. My recent work has been focusing more and more on empowering women to be leading ladies and heroines of their own lives. It is important to me that women can recognize their power to change the world, lead by example, achieve incredible things, and care for the world around us, our natural habitat–in ALL avenues of life, the arts included. It is time we see women embrace their power.
YOU CAN HELP ME.
I have entered my painting “Madame” in an exhibition at the Barnes Foundation in downtown Philadelphia, PA. The original painting is oil on canvas with gold leaf and Swarovski crystal (her earring). It takes inspiration from the Renoir painting, “On the Grass,” and evokes a reveling in nature, depicting the glamorous beauty of a summer day being spent in the grass. She lies totally relaxed, enjoying the feeling of being one with nature. Like nature’s flowers and greenery, she displays and adorns herself to blend with the beauty that surrounds her. This exhibition is also a competition for votes from the public. The winner receives a stipend and studio residency at the Barnes Foundation.
If I won, it would be a huge leap for my career, and mean that I would have the funds, space, and audience to create bigger, better, and more powerful artworks that would specifically empower women.
This is a way to make a difference in the art world, and in my career, without spending a dime.
Will you help me by VOTING for my piece?
Here’s what you can do:
1. Register to VOTE by following the link below. Registration opens May 10!
2. Go to the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia, PA in person between May 21 and June 4 for FREE and VOTE for my piece! All votes must be made in person. You can go Wednesday through Sunday 11am to 5pm, and visit the museum and vote for FREE. However, you must register online first!
Thank you in advance for your efforts! This truly does mean so much to me, and it is my hope that together we can change the system of the art world to reflect more value for women.
With gratefulness,
–Jessica Libor, Visual Artist
02 Tuesday Dec 2014
Posted in In My Studio
Tags
art, artist, beautiful, detailed, fairy tale art, jessica libor, new york artist, Philadelphia artist, realistic art
Midmorning, oil on panel, 10″x12″, Jessica Libor 2014
This week I finished a new painting, Midmorning. It’s oil on panel and is 10 inches by 12 inches. Seeing as the weather is starting to get wintery and shivery around here, I hope this piece brings you to a magical place of lush gardens and paths that can lead anywhere. It’s available on the shop, just follow the link to see more details: SHOP. Ships immediately after purchase.
Midmorning (detail)
Stay creative and warm, and don’t forget to subscribe so that you never miss a post!
28 Friday Mar 2014
Tags
artist, emerging artist, female artist, MFA, pafa, painter, Philadelphia artist, the female gaze, women painters
Recently my good friend Mike Grasso took some studio shots in my studio at PAFA. We had a great time figuring out the photo shoot, and it was a perfect day to take the pictures as the sun was streaming through the windows. Thanks so much Mike!! For any fellow artists, if you’re interested in getting studio shots, contact me at jlibor@jessicalibor.com and I can put you in touch with Mike.
Below: studio shots of Jessica Libor at Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Studio 818. All images copyrighted by Michael Grasso.
15 Wednesday Jan 2014
Tags
contemporary female artists, contemporary realism, emerging artist, female artists, female painters, jessica libor, MFA program, PAFA MFA, painter, pennsylvania academy of the fine arts, Philadelphia artist, realist art, romantic art
Suspended, oil and silver leaf on board, 16″x20″, Jessica Libor 2014
Above is a piece I’ve been working on over break, and just finished the day before school started up again. It’s called “Suspended” and is oil on panel, with the sky and petals on the ground genuine silver leaf, and accents like the fruit and belt on the female gilded in 23 karat gold. It’s 16″x20″ in size.
Technically, the piece is influenced by thinking about the Rococo painters, particularly Fragonard, but also the hyper realistic approach to nature that the Pre-Rahaelite painters utilized. Conceptually, I was thinking about the beauty but also the underlying tension that can exist between romantic partners.
On to the next piece! Below, a little preview of a large work I’m working on.
“Attainment”, a 4 ft by 6 ft painting in progress by Jessica Libor, 2014
29 Friday Nov 2013
Tags
artist, beautiful art, chalk drawing, contemporary art, contemporary artist philadelphia, drawing, drawing rembrandt, durer, gilding, gold leaf, Graduate Student MFA, Installation Art, jessica libor, large drawing, letters, love, love letters, Master of Fine Arts, MFA, pafa, pastel drawing, pennsylvania academy of the fine arts, Philadelphia artist, rembrandt, romantic art, young artist
Detail 1 Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
This month I was able to exhibit an installation called Tender Missive in installation room 849 at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Tender Missive was an interactive installation that involved over 450 diverse love letters from men throughout the century such as Edgar Allen Poe, John Keats, Richard Steele, Lord Nelson, Byron, Pierre Curie, Alexander Pope, King Solomon, Mozart, Ludwig Beethoven, King Henry the VIII, Benito Mussilini and even Adolph Hitler. The letters were written to the women that these famous (and infamous) men were romantically involved with, whether it was their wives, fiancees, or lovers. The letters are all historically accurate, but all presented in the same manner. Each has been printed in a different handwritten font on parchment paper and dipped in coffee to age the letter appropriately. The letters therefore all have a distinctive look, with no two being exactly alike. What is striking is the sweet vulnerability underneath the letters, even written by men who have committed horrific acts against humanity, in some cases even executing the women they wrote these love letters to. There is a realization that the feelings of love and affection are not only reserved for good people. There is also the question of the women involved with these men—was their romance worth the cost?
Detail 2 Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
When the viewer walks into the installation room, the letters are seen covering the walls from floor to ceiling, layered on top of each other like dragon scales. On the far wall, a warm sepia toned pastel drawing of a forest covers the wall, drawn on white paper, and accented with gold leaf. The drawing has an antiquated feel, as if etched by Rembrandt or Durer. The gold serves to add a precious element to the drawing, and brings out the warmth in the letters on the walls. Also, depending on the lighting, the gold either shimmers to life or recedes into the drawing. The drawing serves as the symbolic presence of the feminine as a contrast to the masculine presence of the letters, and also brings to mind the setting of A Midsummer Night’s Dream or other romantic forest setting where lovers might meet.
Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
Back view of Tender Missive
Front view of Tender Missive
Writing pedestal, feather and ink bottle for viewers to use
Detail of Tender Missive
Pastel/chalk drawing with gold leaf as part of Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
Detail of Tender Missive drawing by Jessica Libor
Detail of drawing for Tender Missive by Jessica Libor
Detail of Tender Missive drawing by Jessica Libor
Detail of Tender Missive drawing by Jessica Libor
In the center of the room, an altar-like pedestal is set, with a pile of parchment paper and a glass ink bottle with a falcon feather resting inside. This is an invitation for visitors to pen their own love letter. The original instructions were for the visitors to write the love letter, tear it up, and place it underneath the drawing, where the residue of the chalk had darkened the floor. I had torn up a letter and placed it there to show visitors what I meant. However, of all the people who participated in the writing of the letters, none of the visitors tore up their letters. At the end of the installation, the pile of letters was whole and not torn. As one of my professors explained about the behavior, “No one wants to tear up love.”
Love letters from viewers to a memory or person
As the viewer exits the installation, there are five letters placed on the bare far wall for them to closely examine. These were letters I found particularly thought provoking: from left to right, John Keats, Adolph Hitler, Benito Musselini, King Henry the VIII, and Lord Nelson.
The installation was lit by several warm spotlights that focused on the drawing and the letters, so as to create strong shadows beneath each letter. The effect was meant to be warm, theatrical and almost candlelit.
It took me a week of preparation before the installation room opened, but once it was opened there was a positive response. I once again found the interactive part of the installation very rewarding and fascinating. I love that people were moved enough to participate, and hopefully it provoked questions about our ideas of love and romance—its worth, its reality, its cost, and the importance of what the character of the person is you’re involved with, not just the romance of the relationship.
Tender Missive was open at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts from November 23-27th, and is now closed.
Jessica Libor in her installation Tender Missive