ELLYSE BENDILLO

Ellyse Bendillo is a Philadelphia based jeweler and enamelist. She earned a BFA from Tyler School of Art (2018). After graduating, she transitioned from larger sculptural work to the fine detailed pieces she makes today. She has built her practice working in the city’s Jeweler’s Row repairing precious jewelry with a focus on antique enamel restoration. Working on antique pieces introduced her to the vast possibilities of the medium, combining the playfulness of colorful illustration with the craft and discipline she learned from working in the fine jewelry industry. Ellyse uses enamel’s graphic qualities as an illustrative tool,emphasizing shape and pattern in her production work. The complex applications of champlevé and plique-à-jour allow her to explore personal narratives in her one-of-a-kind pieces. She keeps an extensive library of photos documenting architectural details, plant forms, and church windows that inform the visual language of her designs. When she isn’t baking by her kiln, Ellyse is a regular faculty member at Fleisher Art Memorial. She has instructed multiple enamel workshops at Peter’s Valley School of Crafts and has brought her practice to multiple craft school residencies like Penland School of Crafts, Baltimore Jewelry Center, and Arrowmont. Ellyse and her business partner Kate Dannenberg co-manage Night Shift Studio, a jeweler’s studio co-operative and curatorial project. In 2023, they hosted the studio’s first group exhibition, Memento Mori (2023). She most recently worked as a guest curator on the Serious Fun (2024) group show at Graver’s Lane Gallery in Philadelphia.