Elisha makes mixed-media art at Front Street, in her studio on the first floor of the 100 Building that she shares with Kate Santucci. The first time I met Elisha she wasn’t making visual art. She was singing with the Blue Heron Trio. The group has been on hiatus since 2022 but you can still hear Elisha sing online.
I asked about her shift from making music to making her multi-media art.
“I’ve always been interested in both visual art and music,” Elisha told me. “My mother tells me that even as a toddler I would pound on the piano and then run to a piece of paper where I was making a drawing. In high school and college I loved my art classes but also found time to sing in different bands. When I finished art school, where I majored in sculpture, I started singing with the Blue Heron Trio.”
“When the pandemic hit there were no live music bookings to be had, so I started making visual art again. Then in 2022 one of the members of our trio died. After 12 years of working so closely together the three of us were like family. I haven’t sung since his memorial service. I’ll probably sing again someday, but right now I spend my time making mixed media visual art.”
“I currently have a show now at Emporium Wines and Underdog Cafe in Yellow Springs, and our studio is open on First Friday and Third Sunday art events.”
I asked Elisha to tell me more about the visual art she’s making.
“In art school I loved making sculptures,” she told me “but sculptures can be hard for people to incorporate into their living space. I decided to make work that has a sculptural feel but that hangs on the wall. “
“I start by making a wooden panel. Then I create a watercolor painting that is exactly the size and shape of the panel on thick watercolor paper. Then I typically add other materials. In recent work I’ve been adding sewing patterns. Finally I do the sewing. I love the texture that hand stitching with metallic thread adds to a piece, even though the process seems to take a very long time.”
Maybe it’s because I’m listening to Elisha sing as I write these words, but I see the influence of music in Elisha’s visual art. There’s a rhythm and a flow like the cadence of a song. Take a look at more of her work and see if you agree, either at https://billfranz17.com/ or https://www.elishafrontzart.com/ or in her studio at the next First Friday or Third Sunday event.
More on Elisha’s visual art tomorrow. More photos at https://billfranz17.com/
