Telegraph.co.uk just did an exposé on Lisa Lichtenfels. Her art is unlike any other in that her technique is more akin to a craft or, what I might consider to be what a grandmother might do for her grandchildren, but she has taken her craft and elevated it to a level that can only be compared to a 16th century artisan. She uses silk stockings and padding to create these ultra lifelike sculptures.
When I first saw an up close shot of her sculpture, I imediatly thought of Jim Henson. My instincts weren’t too far off. Here is an excerpt from her online bio:
While working at Disney she developed three-dimensional figurines with posable skeletons for stop-motion animation. Like Judy Jampell’s constructions, they had nylon stocking skins. Lisa left Disney to explore the potential of these techniques, expecting to return to animation in a year or so; but it has now been over twenty-five years, and she is still working in nylon and feels she has only barely begun to realize what is possible in the medium.
Her sculptures are dolls essentially. With an internal skeletal structure, just like the stop motion puppets created for animation. Given from where the origins of her craft stem from, its no surprise that artists and critics would not give her medium the respect it now demands.
I still cherish my first soft sculpture, and it reminds me of the time I showed her to a college professor. He proclaimed it the “worst piece of junk” he had ever critiqued, and chastised me at length for having the gall to present it. I also remember how hurt he was that his words didn’t bother me. How could he have known that all his harsh castigation could possibly achieve was the cementing of a permanent relationship between a new artist and her work? In any case, I can’t say I explored my medium as much as followed where it took me. It has been such an enlightening, enriching, and forgiving journey that I always feel excited in the morning when I go into my studio.
She has come a long way and I can’t wait to see her work in person. And if you happen to be in the New York area, you can see her work at the CFM Gallery, 112 Greene Street, New York, NY 10012.
