About
Conscious and subconscious behavior is the essence of my figurative work, magnified in the solitary, sometimes absurd or determined subjects I create where exaggeration and symbolism play a significant role. I am attracted to the clean lines of mid century modernism as well as the bold palettes and precise techniques found in pop art and graphic design. Mixed media work has also been part of my art practice, where I explore the relationship between basic design elements in the form of small, imaginary birds.
Elyse Harrison June 2025
Elyse Harrison has exhibited her art since the mid 1970s primarily in the Washington, DC area. After spending a lifetime on the east coast, she moved to Portland, Oregon in the summer of 2026 and established a studio with her architect husband in SE Portland.
Her work includes paintings, mixed media sculptures and commercially commissioned site-specific murals. She was the owner-operator of Gallery Neptune, a regional contemporary gallery from 2003-2010, and the owner-operator of Studio Neptune, an art education program for children from 1990-2017, both located in downtown Bethesda, Maryland. Her art has been reviewed in The Washington Post, The Gazette Newspapers, Modernism Magazine and The Baltimore City Paper. She has received numerous awards and grants throughout the years, including The Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award.
Recent exhibitions include “Rhythm and Rhyme” 2026, and “Elyse Harrison, Current Work” 2024, at Radius Gallery, Missoula, Montana, “Pools in Museums”, “ModBird” and “A Visit to The Rice Bark Tree” in 2023 at The Peripoint in Bethesda, Maryland, “All Woman” in 2021 at Maison 10 in NYC and “Communicating Vessels” in 2020 at the American University Museum in Washington, DC. Featured work appears in the following literary journals: ”The Brooklyn Review” August 2026, and “Fatal Flaw” December 2023.
Representation: Radius Gallery, Missoula, Montana
Studio: 3050 SE Division St, Suite 240, Portland, Oregon 97202
A full CV is available upon request.
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