Elise Miller

Hello! I’m Elise Miller: Woodworker, Metalsmith, and Digital Fabrication artist.

 

I’ve been a maker and creative since I was a child, starting out as a friendship bracelet fanatic in Girl Scouts and expanding to sculpture as I grew older. Fickle at heart, I studied at Ball State University and changed my major 10 times before completing a General Studies degree with minors in Spanish, Psychology, Mathematics and Technical Theatre. After graduation, I moved to Portland, OR where I attended art school at the Oregon College of Art and Craft. This classical education allowed me the ability to pursue different areas of study and fuels my art, as my curiosities of the world intertwine to make my unique style.

 

Woodworking has been my passion since high school, and in college I discovered my love of metalsmithing totally by accident. My background in woodworking supplements my metalsmithing skills as I bring knowledge of machines and alternate processes from the woodshop to my metals bench and vice versa. I especially love using hand tools and traditional processes over machining, as I appreciate the feeling of working with raw material in my hands. I enjoy mixing media to create interesting objects large and small!

 

Recently, my exploration into Buddhism, mathematics and bodily autonomy has inspired my designs. I love the symbolism of the lotus flower and the precise nature of geometric shapes and mandalas, which are reflected in my work. I love combining hard angles met by soft curves and simple shapes to create an overall design aesthetic.