Lisa Lichtenfels: From Fabric to Life

Posted on | February 4, 2010 | No Comments

When Lisa Lichtenfels showed her first soft sculpture to a college professor he called it the “worst piece of junk he had ever critiqued.” I imagine he thought he had successfully discouraged her flair for fabric art. His only success that day, however, was in cementing a permanent relationship between a new artist and her work.

Her commitment to the evolution of her craft has led to a collection of startlingly lifelike characters who not only appear absolutely human, but also exude a sense of self-awareness; they look like they have little lives that we just happened to catch a glimpse of.

The head-shakingly realistic look of Lichtenfels fabric sculptures is created by “mimicking nature;” creating from the inside out using wire, felt and nylon that looks, feels and behaves like bones, muscles and skin.

“Working with fabric has been a liberating experience because it is intimate, responsive, and informing, and it allows me to pursue my primary interest, which is the nature of personality and character, and the study of the face as a medium of primary communication.” —Lisa Lichtenfels