About The Artist

Elissa Hishikawa

What is Ridicularium?
I made up this word. It's something totally ridiculous and wonderful at the same time!

I want to make something that is funny yet there will be a dark side.  Because life is not just happy go lucky kinda things.  If there's no darkness, you won't even know what light is.   So embrace your inner darkness and enjoy showing it off.   

Skills:
Polymer Clay  , Jewelry  making, Miniature  Food, Sewing, Knitting, Crochet, Drawing, Painting, Sculpture, Textile Design, Graphic Design

Living in Japan my first 12 years
Being a New Yorker since sometime in the end of 80's
Being Bilingual  since sometime in the mid 80's

IT ALL STARTED WHEN...

When I was 6, I've asked to get clothes for my dolls. Instead of buying the doll clothes, my mother has given me a needle, thread and some scrap fabric and said make it! Since then, I've been making something constantly. All the women in my family were crafty so I’ve picked up knitting, crocheting, sewing and so forth.

I'm originally from Japan but my mother is an American. Being raised in Japan, I was exposed to a lot of crafts and handy people in Japan. Some of truly remarkable individuals of the world.
I moved to US when I was 12.  At the time, I didn't speak any English, so for the first few years, all I did for fun was knit a sweater, rip it up and knit another.  After going through every single pattern in a book I had, there wasn't anything that I couldn't knit.
A few of my crochet/knit designs have been published in Interweave Crochet magazines and Interweave Knit Scene magazines. My last publication is included in the Knitted Gift book by Ann Budd.

I have discovered Polymer clay in 2010 thanks to Christi Friesen.  You will see a lot of Christi in my work.  Since then, I have been making sculptural work, jewelry and anything that comes up in my mind.