About
A sampling of the more than 500 AVIARY birds produced over the years.
A fascination with object design was the source of inspiration for me in the early 1990’s when I began creating hand built, small mixed media sculptures that could be mounted on a wall. Many of these artworks included select found objects which added interest to my work through their provenance, unique shapes, colors, and textures.
Bird imagery soon became an attractive theme since I could challenge myself consistently with various ways to represent beaks, wings, and legs. Eventually I tried drawing on the body surfaces with ink, employing hatch marks commonly found in illustration. This aspect endured and has become a signature feature for all the birds.
Washington, DC area artist Elyse Harrison has been producing her unique mixed media bird sculptures since the early 1990’s. Each sculpture is hand formed with a plaster/cellulose substance and then embellished with acrylic paint and archival ink, often incorporating specific vintage or new objects made from metal, wood, glass, fabric, plastic, or hand printed paper. AVIARY Birds have been collected by hundreds of art enthusiasts throughout the USA and abroad in cities such as Singapore, Madrid, London, Sydney, and Toronto. New collections have been showcased in exhibits and art fairs in the DC area and at Maison 10, located in mid-town Manhattan. AVIARY Birds are included in the permanent collection at The Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax and Alexandria, Virginia. In 2023, imaginary birds in narrative settings painted on canvas were added to the AVIARY shop. Selected paintings, along with a current collection of mixed media birds, are available at Radius Gallery, Missoula, Montana.
Local to Bethesda or planning a visit to the DC area? Come see the latest work in the AVIARY micro gallery. More information here.
Follow AVIARY on Instagram @helloaviary to see formerly collected and currently available birds.
Visit Elyse’s online portfolio of paintings and commercial projects at Elyse Harrison Art.
