Phil Lichtenhan Portfolio

" 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”

- Phil Lichtenhan

 

Phil Lichtenhan was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1952. He is the son of Franklin Lichtenhan, a cabinetmaker and carpenter in Tucson since the 1940’s, originally from Germantown, New York. His mother Lois Middleton Lichtenhan, born in Nogalas, Arizona, was schooled at Tucson High and the University of Arizona. She managed Elloise Estate Sales in the 70’s and 80’s. Phil received his talent from his mother who minored in art at the University of Arizona.  From his dad he gained a love for craft.  He has been encouraged by both parents to pursue art since the time he can remember.      

Phil’s early teachers remember him as the student who approached an art project from a different perspective, exploring the technique in a unique way. In high school Phil took as many art classes as he could fit into his schedule. Perhaps his most important influence was Gerry Wolfe, a teacher at Rincon High in Tucson, who opened Phil’s eyes to the wonder of modern art.

Phil attended Northern Arizona University in 1970, taking seventy hours of art on his way to an extended degree in art education. Bruce Horn and Dick Beasley were his most influential teachers at this time. He then taught art at Salpointe High School from 1974 to 1978. Phil returned to school at the U of A studying printmaking under Lynn Schroeder and Wayne Enstice. He explored intaglio viscosity relief collagraphs; a highly technical process that Phil pushed to very expressive levels, producing jewel-like color from loosely made organic looking plates. Phil received his MFA in printmaking from the U of A in 1981.       

Sedona, Arizona then became Phil’s home after accepting a teaching position at Verde Valley School, a private boarding school twelve miles from Sedona. Verde Valley School is a self-contained community, secluded and surrounded by acres of Forest Service land. Phil continued to make art while teaching full time, running up to Flagstaff often to use the printing facilities at NAU, at the invitation of Bruce Horn, professor of art. While at Verde Valley School he was able to dabble in acting and stage design. He directed the on-site Avery Art Gallery, bringing in shows from across the nation. He led Native American field trips that included developing a relationship with the Hopi, Navajo, and Zuni people.

With his hometown calling, Phil returned to Tucson in 1987.  He worked with local sculptor John Heric, then returned to Salpointe High School in 1988 to teach art and humanities until May 2001. He loved the teaching process, especially interaction with the students and the constant surprises they offer. Phil then worked part time in the studio and part time at a local picture framing shop.  For the next ten years Phil painted landscapes on site and in the studio from sketches and photographs he has taken on his frequent hikes. For the next fifteen years Phil studied the figure with local drawing groups. He produced literal interpretations of the figure as well as fascinating expressive abstractions.

For the past four years Phil has been producing Nests from found discards. His art can be found throughout the United States in both public and private collections including the University of Arizona Museum of Art, Arizona State University Museum of Art, Tucson Museum of Art, Tucson Botanical Gardens, Shemer Art Center, Bradley University Museum of Art, Norwest Bank, Arizona Commerce Bank, and the Ansel Adams estate.

Phil is an accomplished musician and with his friends produces interpretive covers, and evocative rhythmical improvisations. He sings and plays guitar, bass, and percussion.  His partner for thirty years is his wife Hollis Hemingway. She is a counselor at Mountain View High School. Their boys Bryon, age twenty-seven and Logan, twenty-five, are creative, intelligent and fun to be with.