Elijah Kell is a glass artist from Mint Hill, North Carolina. His love for art began in elementary school as an escape from his academic struggles. An introduction to glass at the age of ten invoked a deep connection and passion for the medium, and he’s been developing his craft primarily through self-study and experimentation ever since. As a dyslexic, imagery plays a huge role in his life and he loves transforming ideas into color, texture and form.

 

A passionate artist-entrepreneur from an early age, Elijah quickly began exhibiting his work locally and across the state, earning his first professional juried award at the age of 11, and garnering multiple accolades and awards in the years after. By the time he was 13, Elijah was hired for large-scale installations of his work at two hotels in Charlotte's Center City, and just two years later he mounted his first solo exhibitions. At age 15, he was honored to receive an invitation to exhibit his glass at the GreenHill Center for North Carolina Art where he also served as an event guest speaker. For the next three years, Elijah continued experimenting and developing his body of work, showing his art at exhibitions, events and galleries, collaborating with local artists, and managing his own small gallery space near uptown Charlotte.

 

In March of 2023, Elijah proudly launched Kell Glass LLC and shortly thereafter began pursuing his art and business full time. As he continues to move his career forward, he is grateful to be represented by several galleries in and around the Charlotte metropolitan region, with clients and commissions spanning the Carolinas, nation and globe. Always eager to evolve his work, Elijah recently studied under Nisha Bansil at The Penland School of Craft where he explored the pâte-de-verre technique as well as new techniques with embedding patterns in glass casting. In addition to his focus on artistic growth, Elijah also spent the past year furthering his professional experience by providing contract services to the Gorelick Galleries across six campuses of Central Piedmont Community College, assisting with the curation, marketing, and installation of art.

 

Elijah is dedicated to giving back to the community and is proud to partner with Arts for Life, a North Carolina nonprofit bringing the transformative power of art to pediatric patients in hospitals and treatment clinics. He also regularly donates his work to support charities making a difference in Charlotte and beyond.