Artist - Linda Lee Ligocki

Artist Statement

“Watercolor has a conservative history, but to me it opened the door to expression and creativity using transparent techniques. Allowing the fluidity of the medium stimulated my sensitivity and expression, the mingling color interplayed abstraction; therefore, it energizes the subject. By understanding the properties of the pigments it created a deeper curiosity of how color, line, and shape effects each body of work.

Conversion from watercolor to other mediums forced challenges but the biggest obstruction was retaining the fluidity, the clarity of color, and the transparency of the watercolor media I was previously dedicated to. I discarded away the so called “rules” and began to explore alternative mediums other than watercolor media….discovering that the transparency of acrylics and other mediums could allow the use of multiple layers of color; consequently, achieving rich clear reflective underlying hues. Being adamant about not premixing colors on the pallet to sustain rich clean color saturation; consequently, I worked the medium using watercolor techniques. My work is processed spontaneously and never preconceived although the initial ending concept is. Its’ process is orchestrated one drawing or one primary color at a time. I work each primary color or drawing as it owns completed two dimensional surfaces concentrating on line, shape, and color variances. The challenges are being aware that each level must be complete, must be balanced, and are based on the Elements and Principles of Art. The results are spontaneous…. rich in color or line with intriguing design phenomena.

It is the processing of the line and color spectrum which stimulates me. There is a Hindi song “Asama So Gaya”, which means the “the sky is sleeping” but to me the atmosphere produces changing lines, angles and blesses us with the awe of the every changing full spectrum. Line intrigues me. Color intrigues me. How each line is executed and responded to. How each primary color layered in a different sequence can create secondary and tertiary juxtapositions beyond ones imagination. It is how each viewer’s eye perceives the layers that creates curiosity and dialogue. Then reacting with juxtaposition stimulates another visual experience. Reading, researching, and working using the theories of Wassily Kandinsky, Josef Albers, Paul Klee, Irving Kriesberg, Walter Sargent, Oskar Kokoschka, and the German Expressionists’ awakened my senses to the monetary value on the exact placement of color, line, and shape. The decision to move from flowing realism watercolors into processing line and color in a more direct responsive format evolved from my curiosity of the scientific processing ….which is visually recognizable in all of my Art. Thus the beginning of my transparent layered series.