Lisa Lichtenfels - USA
Lisa Lichtenfels - USA - Bio
"I work in fabric and I work figuratively and realistically. To me nylon fabric is a perfect medium - as fabric it is an ancient and female oriented medium, but it is also modern in that nylon can stretch and assume almost any shape while being warm and rich with glowing color like real skin.
The fact is that any figure, any leap of fantasy is possible in this medium - the parameters are those of imagination only. My job is to constantly push at the edge of what is possible - making sculptures that challenge me and hopefully give a bit of a vacation from the everyday world to the viewer, an experience of freedom and beauty."
Lisa Lichtenfels is widely regarded by artists and collectors worldwide as one of the best figurative sculptors of our time. Indeed, many consider her to be the very best. Although highly coveted and collected by discerning doll collectors, Lisa's work can most fairly be categorized as fine art and has been bought and sold in that venue. In photographs her pieces are awesome, but seen in person they are truly mesmerizing in their unerring realism and emotional impact. A deeply spiritual person who is possessed of an artist's nature, Lisa has always focused primarily on authentic self-expression and communication with the world through her art. Her body of work maintains a singular integrity that supports her view of life and her own place in the world and, sometimes to her own financial detriment, Lisa has chosen to consistently portray what has special meaning to her rather than take a more commercial approach to her subject matter. Thus, lucky collectors around the world are privileged to live with shamans, satyrs, fairies and soulful children of all backgrounds - the beings of Lisa's dreams and daily experiences.
At a time when there has been considerable debate over what constitutes one-of-a-kind art, nobody has ever questioned whether Lisa's creations fall into that category. Each piece is absolutely unique from its initial conception to the final detail. Once an image settles in Lisa's mind and begins to demand her attention, she draws it and uses instruments to take precise measurements which she then transfers to Styrofoam, sculpting a skull. In exact proportion, she then sculpts the other bones of the body and, using batting, creates muscles and tendons over them. The "skin" is created from nylon stockings which she may overlap in several shades to achieve the precise skin color required. Painted marbles or pearls become life-like eyes and mohair is fashioned into just the right length and shape to suit each piece. Every creation is in perfect scale and harmony as Lisa attends to even the most minute detail. Her anatomically correct pieces have such soul and movement that the only thing lacking is the breath of life itself. Some may feel that Lisa goes to extreme lengths to create perfection with her art, but she views her sculptures as real beings and cannot disengage from a piece until everything feels exactly right. The good news is that every piece of Lisa's work is a treasured investment. The bad news is that pieces can take up to a year to complete and therefore be disappointingly hard to find. Brigitte Hess