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Elijah Patterson is a disabled white crafter who strives to blur that line between arts and crafts, taking what for many of us was a childhood medium– polymer clay– and creating incredibly detailed and life-like designs that range from kitchy to elegant.
Eli got their start with polymer clay around 1997, when they and two friends created a “Sculpey Club.” They paid dues to buy polymer clay and spent countless hours modelling and baking their creations. Every few years, Eli found themself drawn back to polymer clays and fell into the niche world of miniature food art, creating work at 1:12 scale for dollhouses. From there, Eli branched out into jewelry and 1:1 sculptures. |
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Around 2018, Eli began experimenting with stenciling before moving on to lino printing. They are drawn to bringing to life radical quotes they have been collecting since childhood. Many prints examine the themes of survival, hope, and transformation.
Eli has been involved with the arts since 2003, joining their schools' literary and arts magazines. In addition to publishing poetry and very short fiction themself, they served as a co-editor of both their high school and college publications. Following graduating magna cum laude from Emmanuel College, (Boston, Massachusetts) with B.A.s in English Literature and Secondary Education and teaching licensure, Eli began degree programs at Simmons College, (Boston, Massachusetts) pursuing concurrent M.A.s in English Literature and Gender and Cultural Studies. Unfortunately, they dropped out just a few credits shy of graduation due to worsening disabilities.
After becoming permanently disabled in 2012, Eli began attending a clubhouse for people with developmental and psychological disabilities. Webster House (Brookline, Massachusetts) quickly became an affirming and creative environment for them and they participated in showings whenever possible. In 2016, Eli was invited to participate in the Artist’s Training Program at Gateway Arts (Brookline, Massachusetts). Immediately, they saw an evolution in their art. They remain very thankful to Gateway for providing the context for this growth and continue with weekly studio hours there.
In addition to visual arts, Eli is a writer and poet. They are an inveterate tinkerer, a Netflix enthusiast, and active in the prison abolition movement in Boston. Both iced coffee and headphones are vital to their creative process. They are passionately anti-AI, but you can pry em dashes from their cold dead hands.
Eli began using the name NewGreyHair around the age of 25, as their first few grey hairs came in. Flabbergasted by finding yet another new grey hair, they impulsively bought the domain NewGreyHair.com, where their artwork now lives.
After becoming permanently disabled in 2012, Eli began attending a clubhouse for people with developmental and psychological disabilities. Webster House (Brookline, Massachusetts) quickly became an affirming and creative environment for them and they participated in showings whenever possible. In 2016, Eli was invited to participate in the Artist’s Training Program at Gateway Arts (Brookline, Massachusetts). Immediately, they saw an evolution in their art. They remain very thankful to Gateway for providing the context for this growth and continue with weekly studio hours there.
In addition to visual arts, Eli is a writer and poet. They are an inveterate tinkerer, a Netflix enthusiast, and active in the prison abolition movement in Boston. Both iced coffee and headphones are vital to their creative process. They are passionately anti-AI, but you can pry em dashes from their cold dead hands.
Eli began using the name NewGreyHair around the age of 25, as their first few grey hairs came in. Flabbergasted by finding yet another new grey hair, they impulsively bought the domain NewGreyHair.com, where their artwork now lives.
