Artist Statement

     "There is no greater force to Appalachian identity than a narrative. A good yarn spun to kill some time or a folktale to teach a lesson, these stories are baked into the bones of those raised in these hills. I explore my own identity as an Appalachian raised on a healthy diet of these stories, weaving my own out of the fibers of my roots with the influences of the decades in which I came of age.

In many ways my current body of work represents a fantasy. This is a world where Appalachian culture was represented and celebrated as a magical place worth protecting. This is world where the hills were never excavated but rather celebrated for the magic and mystery they represent. "

Elisha Rush