An appreciation for the natural world informs Libby Derham's practice. The work seeks to capture her sensory experience within it and the immersive qualities of plein air. Libby transcribes birdsong to line and captures peaceful yet rich encounters with the natural world, she creates loose and expressive contemporary landscape and flora paintings in watercolour and ink.
An award-winning artist, Libby is a fourth-generation water-colourist, passionate at pushing the medium into the contemporary space. She won the Annie Tan Memorial Watercolour Award - Queensland Regional Art Awards (2021) and has been a finalist in multiple local and international awards including Fabriano In Acquarello (2024), Splash: McClelland Contemporary Watercolour Award (2021), QAA (2020), Local Artist Local Content (2022/2021/2020) and Du Ritz Art Awards (2021/2020). Further career highlights have included being recipient of Sunshine Coast Arts Foundation 'Gifted Program' and involvement in Sunshine Coast Council's project 'The Keeper'. She completed art training at Surrey Institute of Art and Design in the UK (1996-1998), before migrating to Australia in 2000 where she studied Teaching and Visual Art at Monash University (2000-2004). Libby has been a full-time artist since 2021.
Libby’s long experience in arts education has provided a solid foundation to support students of all ages and abilities, she teaches workshops and classes at her studio in Palmwoods along with facilitating workshops in partnerships with organisations and art groups across the state.