Philip Lichtenhan

Mixed Media Artist

 

As birds will use a variety of materials to construct their nests, I have collected man made discards of our world such as wire, barbed wire, steel banding, and found objects with which to weave my nests.

The hand fashioned high-fired clay eggs are glazed in a variety of ways producing natural and unnatural finishes and colors.
The steel and found objects that I have found have developed a beautiful patina from the natural forces of time.

I find my nest materials everywhere. Along the roadside, railroads, and alleyways, either in the city or out in the desert are the discards of our world.
Some of the nests I create are like birds’ nests in look and scale. Others are more improbable in size and material choice.

I love the form and color of my nests and I am particularly intrigued by the visual/poetic contrast between the pristine eggs and the nests made of steel.

Bio
Phillip Lichtenhan, (born Tucson 1952) has developed a fascinating series of bird nests. Made of found steel wire and objects with pristine ceramic eggs the nests are a serene and powerful metaphor of life.

Lichtenhan received his Masters of Fine Arts from the University of Arizona in 1981 and has developed dual careers as artist and teacher. In 2001 he left teaching to devote more time to producing his art.

His work is collected privately, publicly and by corporations, including the Ansel Adams estate, the Tucson Museum of Art, and Norwest Bank.

Lichtenhans’ work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions throughout the years, most recently at the Dallas Theater Center, the Shemer Art Center and Museum in Phoenix Arizona, and Dinnerware Contemporary in Tucson, Arizona.