Libby Givan Whipple: Painting the Soul of Hendricks County

Libby Whipple exhibition at Henricks Live

For Hendricks County native Libby Whipple, art isn’t just a visual medium—it’s a form of storytelling, a vessel for memory, emotion, and the quiet beauty of everyday life. From the fields of rural Indiana to the walls of major art institutions, Whipple’s journey as a painter has been both deeply personal and powerfully communal.

Her love for art began early, inspired by an unlikely source: a board game. As a child growing up with three older sisters, Whipple was captivated by Masterpiece, a game centered around fine art from the Art Institute of Chicago. Her sister Sandy made her an irresistible offer: memorize the artists and titles of the paintings featured in the game, and she’d take her to the museum to see them in person. “It was like this most beautiful treasure hunt,” Whipple recalls, describing that formative visit as magical. “That was my early introduction to fine art.”

Although she always enjoyed drawing—especially horses, which surrounded her growing up—Whipple didn’t pursue art formally in school. Instead, she followed a more traditional path, eventually attending law school. Yet even amid the demands of legal studies, art called to her. Feeling stifled and in need of creative release, she asked for watercolor paints for her birthday and began teaching herself with how-to books from the library. That quiet, self-directed beginning blossomed into a lifelong artistic practice.

Today, Whipple’s medium is primarily oil, inspired by the principles of renowned artist Richard Schmid. After discovering his book Alla Prima: Everything I Know About Painting, she was so moved that she traveled to Vermont to watch him paint in person. “It was bigger than art,” she says of his influence. “He made you grateful to be in this world and want to pay it forward—capture the beauty around you and make people slow down to appreciate the everyday.”

The Headquarters

Whipple has never painted with the intention to sell. Her work is deeply personal—scenes of her children, her father in the barn, neighbors in wooded backyards. “I never had to support myself with my art,” she explains. “So I painted what inspired me in my little corner of the world.” That authenticity resonates, and her work has found its way into public collections, including the Indiana State Museum and Indiana Heritage Arts.

Most recently, Whipple has turned her attention to Hendricks Live!, a new performing arts center in Plainfield, Indiana. Serving on the Hendricks County Community Foundation and its grants committee gave her early insight into the venue's development, and she proposed using art to visually represent the entire county within its walls. The result: a collection of five paintings by Whipple representing towns across Hendricks County—Plainfield, Avon, Brownsburg, Danville, and the rural western side.

But her work at Hendricks Live! goes beyond place. Her next series focuses on people—residents whose stories define the region. One piece in progress tells the story of Haris Suleman and his father Babar, who tragically died in 2014 while attempting to fly around the world to raise money for education in Pakistan. Babar had once coached Whipple’s son in soccer. “It’s not about dazzling with technique,” she says. “It’s about honoring stories, connecting people through emotion.”

That sense of emotional truth permeates Whipple’s work. One particularly personal painting, To My Daughter, depicts her daughter holding a letter Whipple wrote during a painful time in their family’s life. “If you can show vulnerability in a painting, that seems to connect with people,” she says. “Here’s my life—messy as it is—but I’m doing it in a beautiful way.”

That same spirit drives another recent painting—this one of a playground in Amo, Indiana. It’s dedicated to Jackie Eggers, a beloved school janitor who quietly saved his money, only to donate a large sum to the community upon his passing. “Everyone in Amo knows his story,” she explains. “But most people outside don’t. I want to shine a light on stories like his.”

Sunset in Avon

Whether capturing a quiet moment in her backyard or preserving the memory of a local hero, Libby Whipple paints with purpose. Her art is an invitation—not just to look, but to feel, remember, and appreciate the richness of community and the beauty of the present.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever feel like I’ve ‘made it’ as an artist,” she reflects. “But if my work helps someone pause and feel grateful, then I’ve done what I set out to do.”

Photo Credits:

Stories of Hendricks County at Henricks LIVE; The Headquarters painting - barber shop in Plainfield; Sunset in Avon painting - owned by the Indiana State Museum