Three Picky Birdies (2026) Original Clay Sculpture by Elya Yalonetski

Three small dandies, each with his own face, his own posture, his own little philosophy of how to wear a hat. The harlequin in his red and black diamond cap with the small bell at the tip, half jester, half angel, the most theatrical of the three. The serious one in his tall black top hat, looking out at the world with the gentle solemnity of someone who takes tea very seriously. The third, in his soft blue bowler tilted just so, brown curls peeking out, the smallest smirk on his lips, as if he has just heard something amusing and is choosing not to share it.
I call them my picky birdies. They look like little birds in human clothes, perched on the edge of the shelf, watching the room. Bright turquoise eyes, round cheeks pinked as if they have just come in from the cold, small mouths painted in pale rose. Each one wears a different ruff or bow at the throat, lavender, pearl-white, deep violet, and each is dressed in his own quiet palette, washed in soft turquoise, dusty blue, plum, and copper, with tiny crosses, dots, and scale-like patterns hand-stamped into the clay before glazing. Their little bare feet show beneath the hems, three pairs of toes lined up at the edge of the world.
They are small enough to fit in the palm of a hand, and yet each one carries a whole personality with him. Stand them together and they become a tiny ensemble, three friends caught mid-conversation. Place them apart and each holds his own corner of a room, a windowsill, a writing desk, the top of a stack of well-loved books.
Here is what I love most about a trio like this. They make wonderful gifts. If a friend of yours has the kind of soul that lights up around art, you can keep one for yourself and send the others off to people you love. The harlequin to the friend who makes you laugh. The top hat to the one who reads everything. The bowler to the one with the wry, kind humor. The bond between the three little birdies will hold across whatever distance, and through them, your bond with the people you gave them to will hold a little stronger too. That is the small, quiet magic of art passed from hand to hand.
They are sold together as a set of three. What you do with them after that is part of the story.

Materials used:

clay, engobe, glaze

Details:

• Clay sculpture on Other
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 20 x 15 x 10cm / 20 x 15cm (actual image size)
• Ready to hang
• Signed on the back
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: Animals and birds