Instant Attraction - Interview with Elyse Graham- Artist, Sculptor & Designer
A trained sculptor, Elyse Graham’s pieces are more art than objects. They are original, striking and on-fleek. Maybe that’s why she has been making waves since she started sharing her sumptuous design objects under her eponymous label, The Elyse Graham Studio.
Below, the talented Elyse tells Terrene about the origins of her studio and takes us into a day in her life.
I’d love to talk about your creative path, and how that eventually led to you launching the Elyse Graham Studio?
My background is in fine art. After graduating from Brown University in 2003, I supported my sculpture practice with a professional jewelry design business. I used the same materials and techniques in my jewelry work that I developed for my art practice. My jewelry often served as maquettes for my larger scale sculptures. I realized that a large part of the satisfaction I found in making work came from sharing it with others and seeing them touch and enjoy the pieces. In 2012, I shifted my studio practice toward functional objects. I see the pieces I make now as sculptural objects that people are encouraged to live with and interact with on a daily basis.
What does a typical day look like for you?
A typical day seems like a far off dream right now but here’s what it used to look like:
I’m up early with my two-year-old daughter and spend a few hours in the morning enjoying her before going in to the studio. I have a morning meeting with Production Manager, Miller Robinson, and go over the pending projects and set goals for the day. Then we launch into our creative work. We are a small studio and each of us is integral to every piece we produce. We have a team lunch in the early afternoon and then continue work for a few more hours. At 5pm I race back home to be a mom again! I spend a few hours responding to emails and catching up on computer work after my daughter goes to bed. Becoming a parent has changed so much about my daily life, but I am especially grateful for the focus and efficiency it has given me.
Do you design and produce everything in house right now?
Yes! We design and produce all of our resin work in house. We use outside wood and metal fabricators for some of our furniture pieces, but everything begins and ends in our studio.
What inspires your work?
I think my biggest inspiration is the material itself. I’ve been working with resin for nearly a decade and I am still finding new ways to experiment and explore its properties. We develop new techniques and processes for each of our different collections. Our most recent work is composed of a composite resin material we’ve developed and named MetaMATERIAL. The process we’ve created allows us to make an intricately patterned and nuanced raw resin building material. We are still exploring its applications.
Do you feel creatively satisfied with the path you’ve chosen, and the work you’ve done up to this point?
Absolutely! But I don’t believe any artist is ever fully satisfied. We all continue to work, explore and push ourselves toward further discovery.
Where do you hope to be in 5 to 10 years?
I hope to be working in my studio alongside an ever-growing team of talented and creative artists, continuing to push our practice, our materials, and ourselves to new and unexpected heights.
If you were to give a piece of advice to another creative starting out, what would you say?
Create from your heart and your own interests and inspiration. Trying to guess what people will want almost always ends in failure and disappointment.
Words by Srishti Jindal; Photos by Peter Bohler
