Realism in nylon.

"It would not have occurred to me that such realistic figures could be created from nylon fabric," says Lisa Lichtenfels, founder of sculptural textiles, an artist from Massachusetts (USA).

With her inherent fantasy, humor and understanding of psychology, the master creates real sculptural portraits, uniting the heroes with complex plots and compositions.

Diorama. Bar scene.

For more than twenty-five years, Lisa has been working with nylon, a material that is not only delicate, but also capricious. "If you lightly hook, scratch, a" path "ran along the fabric, which, unfortunately, is irreversible."

Libya

Libya, fragment

For this reason, the author does not like to send his works to exhibitions.

The sizes of the dolls range from twelve to sixty centimeters in height, but there are also heroes created in full human growth.

Author with a doll, human-sized

Each work is based on a wire frame, onto which fibre filler 'muscles' are built. The nylon is stretched on top, perfectly imitating human skin.

Stages of creating a doll

To create the illusion of a living body with the help of textiles, a gift that is not available to everyone. Lisa Lichtenfeltz succeeds.

Historical reference:

Her passion for drawing and painting led Lisa to the Philadelphia College of Art, where she studied illustration and film production.

After graduating, she joined Walt Disney Studios as an animator. She was soon assigned to the department where movable dolls - cartoon characters - were created. Here, the artist gained experience making wire "skeletons. By this time, the work with textiles had so captivated her that Lisa resigned from the film studio and fully immersed herself in creating her own characters.

Madonna and child

In 1985, Lisa Lichtenfeltz was elected to the National Institute of American Puppet Artists NIADA (International Organization of Artists and Patrons of the Arts dedicated to the art of contemporary dolls).

Lisa's sculptures and installations are of great interest among collectors from all over the world, they are in galleries and museums.

Lisa says:

“Fabric is one of the oldest man-made materials in visual arts. Not so long ago, thanks to the invention of extremely flexible nylon, it became possible to create figures as realistic as possible. Using the stretch properties of this material, I have developed a technique for layering different colored nylons and modeling the shape and texture with a needle. "

“Over time, I liked to tell whole stories with my characters. Here is how the doll “Princess Arsinui galloping on an ostrich was created:

The idea of this work was born at a time when I was fond of ancient Egyptian history. In one of the books I came across a plot of four thousand years ago! He portrayed a woman participating in ostrich races. I thought: an interesting idea - an ancient princess riding a bird! "

The master's work is so spiritual and realistic that sometimes when you come close to a Life-size doll (the dimensions are close to the proportions of the human body), you refuse to believe that this is not a living person in front of you...

Angel of Death

“I was five when a neighbor was selling his farm. While my mother was examining the furniture for sale, I slipped into the back room. Things were taken out from there, only a two-door wardrobe remained. The doors were opened, and I saw a large doll inside, which amazed me to the core with its appearance. At that moment, life taught me to treat dolls as magical creatures. "

“I have a photographic memory. If I see an interesting person, I will never forget his face. Sometimes an image suitable for embodiment pops up in my memory from the depths of decades. Sometimes it is born from a combination of traits of several people. "

Grandma is traveling.

"I used to teach a lot, but today I have given up that activity. The processes of teaching students and working on a doll are emotionally contradictory. When you teach, your being turns outwards, to give back, but when you make a doll, it's the opposite - you look out, listen, absorb. I wasn't that flexible, it took me more than half a month to switch.

Ice cream

“I understand the difference between craft and art as follows: You can make a doll using traditional materials. You can perform it amazingly accurately, but all this will be only technical perfection, nothing more.

When I work on a figure, I feel something mystical in the process, I see a real, almost living person in front of me. If you can catch this sensation, then it will be art! Then you will see not a doll and not even an art object, but an individuality. "

Barbara

Viewers say:

• Very realistic and lively artwork. At the same time, the collection is also good in that it presents different emotions of people in opposite life situations.
• For a long time I could not believe that these were not photos of real people. Simply amazing, such realism is amazing!
• They are as if they were alive, I would never have thought that these figures are made of nylon! Yes, the artist has a talent from God, in her dolls she conveys both feelings and emotions.
• This is something not real, beyond understanding! Thank you for the pleasure of viewing and the talent of the Master!

Writing angel

“For me, dolls are not a figment of the imagination, they are real. When I work on characters, they are absolutely real. "

Photos are taken from open sources on the Internet.

With love and respect, Tatiana Kalinina 

Instagram @tatakalinyshka