I’m excited to have Gigi Liverant as a guest blogger this month. I have featured her work in monthly roundups ( October 2017 and December 2018) and love her vibrant colour, bold compositions, and expressive marks.
I know you’re going to find her process fascinating as well as inspiring. And I LOVE her insistence on the necessity for failure and risk-taking to move towards a successful outcome. Read on!!
Gigi Horr Liverant Bio
Gigi Horr Liverant’s work is experiential and inspired by inconsequential episodes in life. She enjoys juxtaposing rich colour to encourage the observer to experience an ordinary scene with a new perception. Gigi is an IAPS Master Circle member, a PSA Master Pastelist, and a Signature Member of the Connecticut Pastel Society. Gigi has worked with pastels and
In case you don’t know her work, here’s a sneak peak:
Now here’s Gigi Horr Liverant to share her work and process with you.
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Incidental events and everyday life motivate me. My artwork is experiential with visual patterns and
Creating artwork is an exciting and an ongoing learning experience with life’s events impacting my approach and execution.
In over 35 years of painting, my artwork has evolved from representational imagery depicted from direct observation – either still life, figure, or landscape – to statements focused on the patterns and rhythms of color and light.
My introduction to pastel was in the 1970s while attending workshops by Robert Brackman. Brackman attracted nationally accomplished artists and many were working with pastels, including Flora Giffuni, founder of the Pastel Society of America. Though I was an oil painter at that time, I witnessed the variety of applications used by the skilled artists attending the workshops. Eventually, I implemented pastels as a plein air medium, translating the pastel studies into studio oil paintings.
During the 1980s, having been an oil painter for over a decade, my studio time became encumbered by small children. Limited to only snippets of time, I began gravitating to pastels because they offered spontaneity through sticks of really juicy color. Trying to work while entertaining children in a small studio, I became fascinated by the children’s exuberant, freewheeling application of color and line, and in a revelation, I knew that “I wanted to paint like that!” My mark-making technique was an innovation borrowed from children!
Pastels I Use
I use hard pastels for studies and first layers: NuPastel and Holbein. For initial broad
The Process
Life often gets in the way of time in the studio, but the desire to resolve works in progress, and the yearning to revisit recalcitrant work, is relentless. I try to retain objectivity by working on three to ten pieces at the same time, all in varied stages of development, ranging from small studies to pieces awaiting final tweaking. This practice keeps my somewhat A.D.D. mind occupied and helps me maintain a fresh perspective.
When studio work is hijacked for lengths of time, I find that upon my return, the extended absence offers a silver lining by providing a fresh perspective of works in progress. Objectivity is inevitably compromised by overexposure. I lose focus on the inspiration when I work too long on one piece.
First the inspiration: I capture the experience with mental notes, camera, or sketch.
- Allow gestation: give the idea time to percolate, for years if necessary.
Then studies:
- Work out composition:
- Small thumbnail studies
- Black and white charcoal study
- Execute several small color studies
- Execute medium-sized study in color
- Because I work large, medium-sized studies provide a needed transition
- Evaluate: does the composition, value, and color convey my message?
By now, I have a mental picture of the painting, and I generally put aside any reference photos. The painting should be allowed to take on a life of its own. The photo or visual reference will encumber the ability to let my imagination take over.
Preparing larger version of imagery:
- Layout large shapes in black, white, and grey hard pastels followed by an alcohol wash with a large brush
- Pause to reevaluate composition a.k.a, walk away from painting
- This step reveals the “make or break” for the composition
- Using hard pastels, lay in color with broad strokes followed by another wash with alcohol
- Reevaluate – walk away
- Using preferred studies as reference, apply color (hard pastels for underpainting) with constant emphasis on the juxtaposition of colors, value, and color temperature (warm vs cool).
- Reevaluate – walk further away!
- Set aside photo reference and refer to it for detail reference only
- Continue with soft pastels and address the painting with beautiful color relationships and with values that direct the viewer around the picture plane
Some examples followed by lessons learnt
“ROTARY”
I let the concept for “Rotary” gestate for as much as a year, prior to exploring the imagery. It emanated from a week-long stay in a Philadelphia hotel that overlooked a busy rotary. I was fascinated by the cars constantly moving around the arcing roadway, particularly with illuminated head and taillights in the evening.
Initial attempts at the imagery, were literal, based on the photos I had taken at the time. However, despite investing considerable time in creating multiple large paintings, I ultimately recognized that those pieces did not illustrate my vision of the experience. Letting go of months of effort, time, and materials is not easy, but not being satisfied with the outcome of the works I had created was intolerable. Days later, after admitting failure, I prepared yet another new board and began once again to tell the story. The result was the painting, “Rotary.” It stands as a very simplified, and hopefully more resonant, expression of the experience.
Lesson: Take risks. Don’t settle for something that doesn’t quite capture the experience. Take the risk, dig deeper, and push yourself to explore uncharted territory.
In over three decades of painting, I have learned to accept failure as a byproduct of risk. I share many images of failed paintings in this blog. Those failures were integral to the process of discovering a more succinct image. At times the failure was a compositional imbalance, a lack of contrast, or poor color relationships. Managing all of those components to express an experience takes planning and often much trial and error.
Don’t ever let failure deter you. If you want to make a bold statement, you may need to fail boldly! I have and I’m willing to share that with you. Always be willing to take a bold risk, failure is just a step on the way to success.
“ROUTE 2, WESTBOUND”
“Route 2, Westbound” grew out of months, maybe years, of
Sketches and studies began to define the image, but again, that effort sometimes went awry during the process. Would a high horizon or a low horizon better illustrate the experience? Bare trees or fully leafed? These possibilities not only entered the conversation but became paintings in themselves. Still the resolution of the fleeting highway image remained elusive. Finally, after numerous failed attempts, and finally with more ease than anticipated, the resonant imagery came together.
Lesson: Don’t accept an image that compromises your vision. Stick with it. Let go of failures. Try again. In your many attempts, the solution will arrive.
Motivation is a product of inspiration, and I am badgered by inspiration continually. The act of painting begets a diverse stream of creative solutions. The resolution to an active painting often sparks the elusive resolution to a dormant painting.
“TUESDAY MORNING”
“Tuesday Morning” has been a most cantankerous piece. Again, inspired by the view from a hotel window onto a city street below, the imagery has had endless iterations on its way to the current artwork. Over several years, it morphed from a fairly realistic view of a city
The most recent iteration tilts heavily toward abstraction. For me, the impetus from the onset was a dark triangular shadow and I eventually let the exploration of the imagery take me for a ride. I have learned a lot from these visual experiments, with many failures along the way.
Lesson: Allow failure. It hurts only briefly. There are lessons in failure. Learn from it and move on. Get back to the task and try again, your work will be better for it.
When we venture into the unknown, be it new materials, subject matter or size, we risk failure but we also flirt with discovery. Experience has taught me that a fear of failure will stagnate the development of innovative work. When we embrace familiar subjects and habits, we become comfortable at predicting an outcome, but when we do that we stagnate. I believe that in order to push work to a more personal imagery, we need to take risks and embrace the inevitable failure. Through failure we grow. The painting process in multilayered and continual from one artwork to another.
“WINTER COMMUTE”
“Winter Commute” is another artwork that grew out of years of observation. From our home, we have a view of cars, headlights glowing, sliding silently back and forth along the nearby road. The cool evening blue of a snow-covered ground transforms the scene into something magical. I was fixated on capturing the contrast of the cool dark snow and the warm bright headlights.
During the development of this artwork, I experienced my mother slipping into dementia. Her heartbreaking splintered mental decline was unwittingly captured by the fractured imagery in the depicted trees. The gift of the creative process is experiential and personal. Explore it and relinquish yourself to it.
Lesson: With foundational tools in hand – composition, color, value, temperature, and line – let your personal experiences influence your work. Creating artwork should be personal. Your experiences are unique so allow that uniqueness to influence your work.
When a viewer relates to the imagery through their own experience, connection is made. That connection completes the circle of communication from the artist to the viewer.
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Colour!! Glorious colour! Sooooo yummy. And as I said at the start, I love Gigi’s emphasis on taking risks and being unafraid of failures. Speaks to all of us yes?
Now it’s your turn! We’d love to hear what you think of Gigi’s post so leave us a comment and tell us what you think about her work, her process, her ideas. And what about questions?? We want to hear from you!!
Until next time!
~ Gail
69 thoughts on “Gigi Horr Liverant – The Beauty Of Failure”
Love this article!
Whoop whoop!
Thank you Eileen, I hope it provides some inspiration!
Brilliant and inspiring Gail and Gigi! I’ve been a fan of Gigi’s bold use of color from the second I saw it! Great article ladies!!! Thank you for sharing your thoughts on failure as this has been a week of trial and lots of error!
Laura Pollak
Yay Laura!! I was so happy to have Gigi on as a guest blogger and loved her whole take on failure. It truly is a place of growth!
Thank you for kind words Laura. Don’t let the trials and “lots of errors” discourage you. If you are experiencing “trials and errors” it is because you are searching for something beyond your current comfort zone. Congratulate yourself for being willing to step out of that familiar zone. Keep searching through those trials and don’t let the errors get you down. Every error is a step closer to a discovery. Compare your varied attempts during the trials and see if you can find the spark of a new idea or direction amidst the “errors”. You may be on to something new, but it might be frustrating and uncomfortable until you identify that new discovery. Sometimes executing a series of small works nurtures your creative expression. Good luck! Gigi
AWESOME!!!!
What an amazing lesson! Gigi, your patience in developing ideas is not only inspiring but also beautifully documented. Thank you for sharing your modus operandi–there is so much to learn here. I am fascinated by your color combinations and compositions. I can see that I need to slow down and work a lot harder before calling a picture done! Many thanks, Gigi and many thanks Gail for inviting Gigi to share with us.
Yeeeessss! I too loved seeing all the time and effort Gigi puts into creating her work. She’s always searching for excellence, moving through what she doesn’t deem quite there yet (or ‘failures’) and not letting that stop her from expressing her initial impulse. Glad you found lots to ponder and absorb Wendy!
Wendy,
I am so pleased that you found inspiration in the article. You will find that the execution will be more fluid, once you have invested time in a series of studies. Be patient and stay focused! Gigi
Love, love, love Gigi’s work! She really inspires one to aim high.
That she does Joyce!!
Thank you Joyce,
Aim high and refuse to settle for something that does not capture your message.
So very helpful, at this stage in my work. Thank you for sharing.
Love hearing that John! I’m curious what was most helpful at this point in your journey?
I’m glad this was helpful John. Keep working and don’t settle for mediocre.
This essay on failure should be engraved upon my heart. What a wonderful and inspirational subject. Thank you Gail and Gigi.
Ohhhh Pat…that’s so, so…..so WONDERFUL to hear. Do take it to heart. Let’s ALL take it to heart!
Thank you Pat,
Remember that failure is healthy and a great teacher. Allow yourself to fail and your artwork will be better for it. You don’t have to show anyone the failures, just keep them as a reminder of how much better you can do.!
Gigi
So fun to see you here Pat. MzAnitaK here from Monet.
Gigi’s process is fascinating and I learned so much from her experiences. I love that her style evolved from observation of children’s art. Gail, thank you for sharing other artist’s work along with your process. Each time you post, I glean some great tips. Love your blog!
That’s GREAT to hear – about you learning from Gigi and each blog post!! And thank you for picking up that point about Gigi’s work and evolution as an artist. It would be well to look to the freedom of creativity in children!!
Thank you Elizabeth, I do hope that sharing my process, having evolved from my own experience, is helpful for you. And I thank Gail also for being able to share with you!
I LOVE this article – thank you – love Gigi’s attitude to her work and it shows in the fabulous colour and those wonderful zig zag marks that speak of freedom and mark-making and yet are, quite constrained. Joyous colour with abandonment – my favourite ways of thinking/being. So generous to see the steps along the way. thank you both.
And I LOVE hearing this Gina!
It’s interesting isn’t it, what looks like spontaneous work, is actually a well-planned piece. It’s like a poem or a novel, the words of which strike one as easy and simple and yet so much planning and editing goes into art-making to make it appear that way.
Thank you Gina,
I have learned that, by making lots of mistakes, that patient preparation provides a more focused and spontaneous result.
Wow, this knocked my socks off! I love seeing the process unfold and expand and evolve and turn over and … well, you know. So original. I am also struck with the hint of Edward Hopper if he had encountered soft pastels. Anyone else see that?
Socks off indeed!!How interesting Jody, your reference to Hopper. I’m not sure that I see that and would love you to go further with that idea. And I also hope others will chime in either way!!
Thank you Jody! Nice observation on the Edward Hopper, whose simplicity and use of light has always been on my radar.
I was struck by Gigi’s dedication to her art, and her willingness to say “no” to something she spent many hours, days, and weeks plus to create. I believe it takes great fortitude to do that, and at the same time it takes a strong level of confidence for her vision to reach the final desired result.
It was interesting to see her black and white underpaintings. Since they focus so much on shape and value, I can see how it eliminates confusion over underpainting color questions. Another technique to try.
Thanks Gail, as always, for a blog that always teaches me new things. Thanks to Gigi as well for a wonderful informative demonstration of her work.
Yes Ruth, I too was struck by Gigi’s unwavering vision of excellence and her ability to give up work that took time and effort to create in order to fulfill it. Confidence and determination.
And yes, I was surprised and delighted by the black and white underpaintings. I’d love to see you try this Ruth! Let us know what happens.
Love hearing that these blogs are so useful 😀 Thanks!!
Thank you Ruth! Artwork, like all creative processes do take fortitude, but the effort is well worth it. As you noted, a clear bath worked out in the underpainting actually makes the color application more fun (less other stuff to be distracted by).
Thanks Gigi! I’m looking forward to trying it! Loved seeing your work!
Gigi’s emphasis on design elements comes at a very convenient time. I am finishing up book illustrations, all based on compass and straight line elements. While they are pretty primitive, I see these same elements in Gigi’s work. Her detailed preparation is inspiring. I’ve never done this much work before starting a final painting and I’m sure that it is necessary and rewarding. And her colors? Exquisite. Thanks to you both so much for this blog posting.
I love that you see the link between what you have been doing with your illustrations (which are so cool and for anyone interested, can be seen in the HTP Facebook group) and Gigi’s work. And Andrea, I think few of us take such time to prepare for the final painting. And also take risks, willing and able to move on when something doesn’t work out.
Thank you Andrea. The preparation, though time consuming and frustrating at times, does indeed enhance the final the process. It makes the “playing with color” phase feel like dessert!
I will print and keep this article for the valuable advice alone about ‘daring to fail’. Plus the strong work ethic messages which I confess I don’t do and I now see are the very keys to success. I do wonder about Gigi’s filing system to keep track of all the studies and sketches of her work. Thanks for another great blog.
That’s fantastic Marsha! I agree with you about the keys to success being ALL the work Gigi puts into her art practice. It’s inspiring that’s for sure. As is the dare to fail attitude.
Good question about filing system. Maybe Gigi will give us some insights….
Marsha, I do hope you give the “daring to fail” a try. The preparation does take some discipline, but I think you’ll find it will reward you. I think my filing system for the studies would disappoint you however. They are, frankly, simply stacked along the wall according to theme.
“In over three decades of painting, I have learned to accept failure as a byproduct of risk.” This is such wisdom. Without risk there’s no growth, and no WOW. Gigi’s work is packed with wow. I was fascinated to see the evolution of ideas and designs here, thanks for sharing the process! So inspiring!
Thanks Jeanne!! I love the quote you have pulled because yes, this lesson of accepting failure as part of the artistic process is such an important one!!! I too loved seeing the various stages of ideas and how they all moved towards the final piece.
Jeanne,
Thank for weighing in and for your “wow” comments! Everyone should be looking at Jeanne’s work for the ultimate mastery of water and waves! How do YOU do it!
Your work is fantastic. Your focus and commitment to a style is amazing.
Agreed Bernadette!!
Thank you Bernadette. It is only through decades of frustration and disappointment that I arrived at a “disciplined” approach to developing imagery. Think of it as building a strong foundation (studies) and then you get to let loose and enjoy the development of your idea.
I love this article! It is inspiring and so helpful. I was worried that something was wrong that it takes me so long to work on and finish a painting. It’s nice to know that I am not the only one that takes the time to study, and evaluate the image I want to paint. Thank you so much for including this article!
Beth I’m so glad this guest post by Gigi Horr Liverant reassured you!
We all have our own ways of working. I would say there are no “wrong” ways. We find our own rhythm and flow and still leave room for change and evolution in our work and in our working process as we are inspired along the way.
Thank you Beth. You have nothing to worry about. Taking time to work out the structure of your imagery makes the implementation of your inspiration so much more liberating!
Great lesson, great artwork! Thank you so much for this, Gigi and Gail! I know a lot about failure 😉 and more often than not I just move on to the next painting instead of trying again…
It is said that even many old masters like gorgeous Monet or Degas often despaired over their work. I wonder if you know those feelings too (Gigi and Gail) and are you always completely happy with the paintings you make public?
By the way, I LOVED the painting in your previous blog post Gail – thanks for all your inspiration! Gabriela
Gabriela thanks so much for your comment and question. I think if you are growing as an artist, then rarely does a painting make you completely happy!
Thank you for enthusiastic response to my painting in the previous blog on using black paper 😀
Thank you Gabriela. Don’t think of failure as something negative. Failure is just a small stumble on the way to something better. You don’t fail, if you’re not reaching for a better outcome. As far as “always completely happy with the paintings you make public?”…OMG no! So many times I want to rework a piece in the public realm. You feel that way because you’ve developed your skills beyond those paintings.
Thank you Gail for sharing these fabulous artists to study! I love Gigi’s work! All the effort is amazing! It’s like a system of layering. I still want each painting to be a frameable work.. I do have a pile of no goes… Failures. I’m currently taking lessons with Alan Flattmann and He’s big on charcoal underpaintings… But I’m too impatient with the process. This has been a wonderful lesson. Gigi is a master demonstrating the value of mastering each stage before moving on.
Love that you got so much out of seeing Gigi’s process Ruth!
I think we all understand that feeling of impatience to get going on the final piece. Yet once you experience the outcome of putting in the time and effort to prepare, you begin to see its worth and then incorporate it into your working habit. I felt the same way about doing thumbnails but now, they are an integral part of my art-making process.
Thank you Ruthie. We all want each painting to be frameable! Sometimes its fun to take one of those pieces that you perceive as “failures” and rework it. The beauty of that idea is that you have nothing to lose. Throw some new crazy ideas at those “failures” and see what happens. I understand impatience, but why not try what Alan Flattmann is suggesting as an experiment?
Wonderful work – utterly inspirational. Thank you so much, Gail, for introducing us to amazing artists like this.
It is so my pleasure Philippa! I’m delighted that you were awestruck by Gigi’s work!
I really enjoyed seeing the evolution of each ‘final’ piece through its many transformations. I might tend to stop at one of the earlier images and then move on to something else. Gigi’s persistence to get to that final image is inspiring!
Susan I know exactly what you mean – stop and move on. As you say, Gigi’s dedication to resolving and expressing her idea is inspiring!!
Thank you for your comments Susan. I admit that there was an era in my artwork when I would, or did, stop at one of the earlier images, and I’d be content with that. However, you know that saying about “the older you get, the less you know”, after over 35 years of painting, I am no longer content until I persist into the resonant image. It’s always there, you just have to dig it out!
Love this Gigi!!
Thank you Phillippa. I so glad that I was able to provide some inspiration! I too am grateful to Gail for the opportunity to share some creative ideas.
Thank you Gail and Gigi, this is wonderful. I so often tell students that art is not about copying and making it look “right.” It is so much more about the expressing a unique outlook, thought, feeling, or inspiration. I love both Gigi’s work ethic and her commitment not to settle for anything less than deep authenticity. All that resonates as foundational in these works which (beyond their GOBSMACKINGLY FABULOUS color) is why we love them so intensely. We are riveted to them because they are true to her vision. She has had the courage not to compromise. She was willing to be vulnerable, take risks, and give us what only she can. Her paintings are penetratingly honest. They represent her, and therefore qualify as art instead of mere rendering, which unfortunately is so much of what we usually see. We’ve now heard of the deep underpinnings of why and how these paintings ring so genuine. We love this art and the artist’s humble, painstaking process, not only because it is fresh and original, but the receptive viewer’s spirit is then encouraged and freed to be unabashedly their own true self as well. Gigi’s bold work feels like the joy of liberty to me -such delicious fresh air! – and is worth far more than every ounce of work she so dedicatedly puts into it. Thanks again!
Polly, thank you thank you thank you for expressing so beautifully and fully what these paintings are all about! I agree with all you say!
OMG Polly!!! Your statement is so “GOBSMACKINGLY” generous! I am going to print it and post it in my studio for when the doldrums take over my brain. Thank you, thank you for your very perceptive insight and your unselfish enthusiasm. And FYI: I LOVE the work YOU are doing! Your boldly colored and expressive work is original and refreshing and joyful! To anyone reading this, Polly has given me the kind of “you go girl” inspiration that we all need to charge our creative batteries. Put your honest work out there, and sometimes the feedback will gift you a supercharge to keep going!
💓💓💓
How great! I wish Gigi had a book, album of her works I could buy!
I know what you mean Piri!! Glad you enjoyed Gigi’s blog 😀
Piri,
Thank you for you kind comment and desire for a book. I wish I had a book to offer to you! I have done small self-publish books over the years, but not a comprehensive album. You have given me food for thought. If it happens, Gail will be the first to know!
Best, Gigi
Yayyyy!!!!