Stephen Lichtenstein has been working with metal for well over forty years. Born in New York City, Stephen fled NY after graduating from Cornell University in 1979 to take a position in Education at the University of New Hampshire. Stephen also holds a Ph.D. in Education from The University of Illinois.

Stephen started working with Peter Happny in 1983 as an apprentice. He enjoys working with a variety of tools and is currently experimenting with animal and plant images as an inspiration for his sculptures. Stephen is excited about the prospects of using older iron that has been weathered over time. He believes that the textures and contours create strong possibilities for the end results and often these features define the various images being considered. Stephen also experiments with a variety of patinas for his metal work and he often grimaces when he describes this as a love-hate relationship. “You just don’t know what you’re going to get, because it’s full of surprises.”

When he is not working in the blacksmith shop, he enjoys walking, reading, playing Wordle, gardening, cooking, making yogurt and keeping in touch with his two adult sons. Stephen also enjoys traveling with his wife, Karen, a fifth grade teacher in the Portsmouth School Department.