Libby Moore

Sunshine Coast National Art Prize 2026 - Finalist

_{Image courtesy of artist.}

Libby Moore
NSW

Follow me
2026
Acrylic on canvas
79 x 79cm

Imbued with personal significance, this selection of coloured glassware serves as an homage to the female form. Through the acts of collecting, assembling, choreographing, and ultimately painting these glass and ceramic vessels, I’ve constructed a group that embodies a range of distinct personalities and complex relationships. Like a family, harmony is not constant. Tensions exist alongside moments of balance, and this universal dynamic unfolds on the canvas.

At first glance, the group gathered here seems like a harmonious ensemble. Look again. How do you imagine the ochre-tinted, four-tiered glass bauble vase on the far left feels about being pushed to the edge of the circle? And what sort of pressure is the tiny cream-coloured jug under, expected to lead from the front and set the standard for the rest? As with any relationship, appearances only tell part of the story. No one truly knows what goes on behind closed doors especially when there are multiple individuals involved.

As the mother of four children and two stepchildren, I experience caregiving as a multifaceted process of holding, supporting, balancing, withholding, and releasing. The five shapely forms become stand-ins for these lived realities, evoking femininity, womanhood, and the layered experience of motherhood. They suggest not only connection and care, but also the cyclical, ever-shifting nature of the female experience and human existence.