Michael Kahn, who passed away on the Winter Solstice, December, 2007.

With the help of his wife Leda Livant Kahn, he created Eliphante.
He is and will be missed very much by all who knew him, including this writer.

Michael and Leda, are internationally known  artists who created a sculptural garden, a masterpiece, called Eliphante in northern Arizona, near Sedona.  He had a gallery on Cape Cod years ago and after moving to the southwest, he continued to paint while they constructed a series of buildings that made up their home. They used  materials found in the environment such as driftwood, stones, broken glass, flying concrete and pieces of pottery.

The fantastical structures include sunken labyrinth galleries, stained glass, lofts, domed chambers, tunnels, standing stones, sculpture, mosaics, hand carved wood but most importantly, Michael and Ledas' paintings.

 A tunnel with stained glass skylights casting rainbows onto its walls leads us to a domed chamber decorated
with stained glass, a mosaics of stone, plaster, paint, and wood.
Behind charming hand carved doors we wind through mazes of art and
are invited by chairs and soft floors to relax and enjoy.
 
A visit here means letting yourself play, taking in the forms, patterns,
 colors and textures with all your senses.
Our first visitor expressed her joy by saying “My soul feels better."
Visitors to Eliphante have exclaimed-
    "I have a new style of sculpture as a result of what I saw here. I can't wait to get home and begin!"
    "It is obvious he loved her so much that her created this beauty for her."
    "The land is barely able to contain the exuberance."
They have even sat down in the dome with the stained glass and cried for the joy of it.

As we wander through the garden discovering first one artistic treasure and then another your creativity comes out to play.
Will you discover a new style for your beadwork? Redo your flower garden? Expand your business? What will you be inspired to create?

Arizona Highways Magazine has photographed for an article and photo layout.
Arizona Highways Television filmed it.  Look for the link elsewhere on this blog.
Eliphante can be seen on Bravo Channel. The short documentary was made by a Canadian group and recently purchased by Bravo.
 
Check out our photos under Extreme Home, Eliphante!
"The  New York Times did a feature story  about the man, his wife and his work, published January 31, 2008.
To see the text of the article, click here.
If you want to see Eliphante and their paintings, please leave your email address through our main web site.
BlueFeatherTours.com
Thank You for your interest.   J D Allen