Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Hixen-Costigan
Lisa, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have been a creative person my whole life. I can remember art projects I did as a 5 year old. Being the one tapped to draw signs for my sister’s 4-H group, my friend’s party that hosted a card pitching tournament and wanted contestants’ portraits on posters or a portrait of someone’s pet was the norm. Any art project is a building block so I was always willing to give it a whirl.
I was extremely fortunate to have happened into a class taught by Gustav Likan in 1984. It was within walking distance to my then house in downtown Austin at ACC Rio Grande in the evening. It was the most inspirational environment I had ever encountered. I took every class he taught and continued to show up without being registered. He believed if you were there you were committed to art. I even invited a few friends to crash the class. There was always plenty of room and we didn’t crowd the registered students.
After a couple years, another friend at work posted a brochure for an art workshop by Mr. Likan in Acapulco. I was just sitting down to tell my boss I had gotten another job, but holding the brochure I told her I needed to work both jobs to go on the trip. I didn’t know how, but I was going to make it happen! I told one of my friends that joined me in his class a few times. She sold a piece of band equipment to join me. I then had to tell my husband, Patrick I was doing this. It was the most consequential trip of my life. A strong friendship grew not only with my friend, Kris that joined, but also with Mr. Likan, my mentor who I affectionately called Gus. His studio became my escape for 11 years. I had my own studio at home, but something about the peace and quiet(and no kids) of painting with him rejuvenated my soul. My husband was very supportive of my art and understood the connection.
In 1998 my dear mentor and friend passed away at 86 years old in his sleep with paint on his hands. I think of him often and thank my lucky stars that I had the opportunity to gain confidence in my art and to learn from the best.
I have always loved figure drawing. The classes with Gus always had a live model. Airports are one of my favorite places to catch people and do quick sketches. I had begun taking classes in clay and fell in love! I have since married the two mediums and draw figures on my clay or sculpt figures. With an incredibly supportive husband, I’ve been fortunate to have a painting studio and a clay studio at my disposal.
We are currently in the process of moving 25 years worth of our lives to another property. It’s been tough to squeeze art in, but we’re almost done and the creative juices are starting to flow again!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not always been a smooth road, but we always seem to manage. The loss of my mentor, Gus, caused me to take a break for a while from art. There was also the need to have a job for insurance with two small children. My husband was self-employed so I went for the state job at Texas School for the Deaf where I worked for 25 years before retiring. Now I’m so busy I don’t know how I ever worked, helped raise two amazing daughters and made art!
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Art is therapy. While you are working on any project, you cannot think of anything on the outside of the studio. I put on latin jazz and escape into my art. It could be painting a portrait, producing clay platters to draw on, or glazing pieces to get ready for the kiln. I don’t like to peg myself into one medium so I don’t get bored, but when I emerge from my studio I feel refreshed and ready to face the world outside.
I enjoy inspiring others to realize their creative possibilities. While working at the deaf school I would be invited by the art teacher to be a guest in her class to teach painting to the students. I loved seeing their pride in what they could create once they were taught color mixing, techniques, and that mistakes aren’t a big deal. I believe that fear of making mistakes holds people back from even trying.
This is also how I approach teaching the hosted painting classes in my studio. I encourage the participants to relax, not to compare their work to others and to appreciate the differences in their work. Everyone always leaves feeling good and seem giddy about what they accomplished. Maybe it was just the wine talking.
Alright so before we go can you talk to us a bit about how people can work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Having a group of artists to bounce ideas off of and/or create with is important to expand your idea pool and not become stagnant. With our big move to the new place I lost some momentum, but I am trying to get back out there and meet with other inspiring artists regardless of their medium. I have met new artist friends in the neighborhood and it has been a boost to all involved. It’s time to update my website and get back on the horse! You can catch a glimpse of some of my past work at https://www.hixenart.com/
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.hixenart.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hixenart
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/HIXENart
Image Credits
Lisa Hixen-Costigan
