Arthur M. Tieger Well-known artist Arthur Tieger, of Red Rock and Greenport Manor in Greenport, died unexpectedly on January 18.  He was born in 1928 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, son of the late Max and Rudae (Rudolph) Tieger. He grew up in Elizabeth and graduated from High School there in 1947.  Later that year, he moved to New York to study art.  He first became a pupil of Spanish sculptor Jose De Creeft, best known for the 'Alice In Wonderland" sculptor in Central Park, who was also an early assemblagist of found objects, as well as a painter.  Tieger later studied with legendary teacher and painter Hans Hoffman, whose other students included Lee Krasner, Larry Rivers, Ray Eames and Red Grooms. He lived in and around Greenwich Village and the Lower East Side creating art, showing his work in numerous galleries and other venues, and supplementing his income by doing carpentry work for friends and fellow artists.  He taught painting and drawing privately and at Cooper Union. In the early 1960s he moved to Rockland County where he began to experiment with various techniques for working with glass.  He undertook a commission for architect Phillip Johnson for a sculpture in glass for one of Johnson's buildings.  Over the next decade he continued to be active in the Manhattan art world, splitting his time between there and several upstate locations. In the late 1970s Tieger moved to Columbia County and bought the former Goodrich Lumber Yard in Red Rock (Chatham) to serve as a studio, living quarters and a warehouse for the materials he collected to use in his art work.  Over the next three decades, he produced a constant stream of work that ranged from glass sculptures and fused-glass pieces to works on paper, assemblage of found objects and mixed-media. While living and working in Red Rock, he was a generous mentor to young people from throughout the area, providing art material, advice, and inspiration.  In recent years he was an active member of the Greene County Council on the Arts, supporting and encouraging fellow-artists. In November 2007 a fast moving fire destroyed his Red Rock building and much of his life's work and raw materials.  Tieger, then 79, was seriously injured in the fire and spent months in Westchester Hospital Burn Unit and then in rehabilitation at Kaaterskill Long Term Care. Battered but undaunted by this catastrophe, Tieger, as his strength returned, applied himself to his work with renewed energy and inspiration, undetaking what he dubbed "The Pheonix Project" a "NotArt" enterprise to creat new work incorporating the experience.  On the evening of the day he died, he had unveiled several new pieces as part of a group show at the GCCA Gallery in Catskill, NY. He is survived by his son, Jesse, of San Francisco,CA, his former wife, Susan Tieger of Oakland, CA and two brothers Robert and Daniel both of Manhattan. In Lieu of flowers, donations in Arthur's name will be welcomed at the Greene County Council on the Arts, 398 Main Street, Catskill, NY 12414 and The Second Show, 519 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534.  A memorial Service and Exhibit is planned for Spring.