This month, we’re highlighting Westport-based artist Liz Legget, whose process-driven abstractions are as much about texture as they are about energy. Legget uses intuitive mark-making to express tension, frustration, and catharsis, recently introducing collage elements from her own ripped-up drawings. These edges and intersections create a deliberate sense of discomfort and ambiguity, inviting the viewer to sit with the confusion.
Read on for more insights into Leggett's latest work, and dive into her unique approach as she continues exploration with pieces that challenge perception and invite multiple interpretations.
Liz legget. Tired in the whelping box (2024)
How does texture affect the emotional impact of your work?
The texture in my work mostly comes from various lines and mark-making applied intuitively. The marks are a channel for me to get my inner thoughts and emotions out, so the lines to me are often tracings of tension and frustration but also of catharsis and energy. Recently I’m ripping up old drawings and using them to collage, adding another element of texture. I am particularly interested in the edges of the paper and where the pieces meet. These aren't necessarily areas of harmonious meetings, so there is a jarring and confusing quality–a sensation I’m very interested in relaying to an audience without being too literal.
How have you been able to find balance between inspiration and discipline in your creative process?
I’m really being thoughtful lately with my time in the studio. Although my process is often fast and spontaneous, I am trying to pace myself and make decisions along the way. If something just doesn’t feel right, I’ll keep pushing the work. To me, this takes a certain discipline–to keep pushing an artwork–and searching for something engaging and interesting.
What role does color play in how you wish to convey the narrative in your pieces?
I don’t premeditate color application too much–instead I try to keep it reactive and responsive to the mark making. But I definitely lean towards certain colors–I love working in flesh tones and pinks and hot pinks–there is no doubt an association with these colors that scream female, and I have no problem with that! Also, the neons I occasionally use have such a garish connotation, and speak directly to my youth and generation–I love it!
Liz Legget. Bullhead ii (2024)
What’s a typical day like for you at the studio? Are there any routines or rituals you do to aid your process?
Lately I’ve been doing a massive inventory of all the work in my studio. I have hundreds of works on paper that I am organizing and frankly, want out of the studio! I am aiming to pare down to focus on specific work without clutter or visual noise. My studio is having a cleanse!
What’s your favorite non-artistic hobby, and how does it influence your work, if at all?
I love to watch my sons play their sports–Benjamin lacrosse and Emanuel basketball. I feel 100% focused when I watch them play and completely absorbed in their games. And it’s definitely quality time with them with all the travel involved!
