“The work that I am most passionate about focuses on depictions of children and animals. In this work, I address the social issues of child abuse by juxtaposing the quiet brutality of abuse against the perceived, inherent innocence of children. The familiarity of the narrative context challenges the viewer, creating an unsettling relationship between the audience and the figures. The space between the viewer and figure directly challenges the silence about such issues and, hopefully, calls attention to the myriad of societal issues that we tend not to acknowledge in our daily lives.

Every art work, in one way or another, is my expression of negotiating my own history with the world. My art is a subjective dance between the fissures of expectation and experience. My articulations, while pointed toward something that is not collectively experienced, strives to seek out moments when & where we can find opportunities to communicate. I attempt to convey moments where and when personal experience endeavors to participate in forming our interpretations of the world.”

Elisha is a ceramic sculptor from Missoula, Montana.. She received her BFA in Ceramics from the University of Montana in May of 2015. In 2016, she continued her education in ceramics by completing a short term residency in Red Lodge MT, at Red Lodge Clay Center, a studio assistantship at the Arrowmount School of Arts and Crafts in Tennessee, and a short-term residency at the Clay Studio of Missoula. Elisha is also the Exhibit Coordinator for Torrents” Art on Main Street at the Confluence Center in downtown Missoula, as well as the founder and Executive Director of Wheels on the Bus - A Mobile Ceramics Studio.

More of Elisha’s work can be found on her website http://www.elishaharteis.com, or visit her Instagram page for her latest news https://www.instagram.com/elishaharteisceramics/. To find out more about Wheels on the Bus please visit https://artsmissoula.org/organization/wheels-on-the-bus/

Please contact D2 gallery for any additional inquiries, and to arrange to see some of Elisha’s work in person.