Lisa Van Stygeren

Biography

How fortunate I am to  be  alive  at  this  special time on earth. To  be  able to  sculpt  and  create beauty wherever I am,truly makes my heart sing.

It  started  when  my  daughter Kim Van Stygeren, an Internationally   recognized   portrait   artist   saw  me painting with pastels and said “mom, you’re sculpting on paper.”  I could could see what she meant.

I finally reached the point in my life where the art that had been unexpressed in me for so long was now was ready to  emerge. So, at the  age of 52, I plunged in!

For   me  the  process  starts  with  a  block of  clay, a turntable and just my fingers.  Not knowing in advance what I am going to sculpt, the hardest  thing for me is to just sit down and begin. As the neck and shoulders become  recognizable  and  a face  appears,  even the slightest change in light or angle reveals personalities unseen  before.  It  is  at  these  times I feel moved to capture these angelic and peaceful image on film.  So my work has evolved to include photography, creating endless expressions of their beauty.

Born  in  Germany,  I  emigrated  with  my  family  to Canada when I was eleven years of age. After raising my  two  daughters and  a ten year modeling career, I decided  to  relocate  to  Santa  Fe,  New Mexico  the summer  of 2000. This magical new home has offered me opportunities for high  quality  bronze  casting and a never ending blue sky.

My  photographs  and   sculptures   can  be  found  in private collections  worldwide. The bronze  sculptures are available in  limited  editions  of nine ( 9 ) and are further identified with an imprint of my family’s crest:  Baroness Luise Von Grotthuss.