Silicon Valley Open Studios

About Sylvia Lichtenger

I pride myself on being bi-coastal, having spent half my life in New York City and the other half in California, and I have an equal love for each. Raised in an artistic household, I first learned to draw and paint portraits at the Art Students League in New York. In 2003 I moved to Palo Alto and taught art in the Palo Alto Unified School District. After doing many portraits for family, friends and their children over the years, I added landscapes and cityscapes to my repertoire. Recently, I have begun to abstract my work, often using cold wax and other media to add texture and depth. A painting may start out as one thing, and through many layers and iterations, turn into something else entirely. It's as if the true painting is hiding, and I must keep working and searching until it finally reveals itself.