One of Elliot Miller’s creatures.

There is a gem of an exhibit up in North Miami: a solo show populated by forest creatures, carved, chiseled and chainsawed out of wood. The artist is a native Miamian who passed away in 2003, though many locals may not be aware of him.

Elliot Miller’s woodland animals – possums, various cats, marmots, bears – come alive in the upstairs exhibition space of Bridge Red Studios (a Knight Arts grantee). They have distinctive, animated faces and tactile fur – old school, figurative sculpture. Except that they are semi-surreal, creatures more than actual animals.

There are also examples of his more abstract wood pieces. What’s amazing is that, while the newest of these figures and squares are more than a decade old, you can still smell the wood. You really are transported to an enchanted forest.

The late artist with his work in New York.

Miller started off carving female figures during his early years here in Miami, when he shared a studio with Bridge Red’s co-founder, the sculptor Robert Thiele. The two would go on to share a space in Brooklyn, where, interestingly, in the middle of one of America’s most urban centers, Miller took an interest in woodland animals of the Northeast. He always took a chainsaw to the wood in the first rounds of sculpting, then smoothed out and detailed the final product with traditional wood-working tools such as a chisel or knife. He then would paint it – one of his favorite choices was pine wood – or burn it. In the abstract works, he sometimes added another material: one lovely piece has a hinge, so you can open a little door. Or he would let the wood be. As he wrote in his artist statement, “I often leave a portion of the wood untouched in its original state, to emphasize the contrasts in texture and color.”

Since Miller’s untimely death at the age of 60, many of these works have been shuttered away. This is the first time they have had an airing since 2003. Kudos to Bridge Red for bringing them back into the light.

Elliot Miller sculptures run through March 15 at Bridge Red Studios/Project Space, 12425 N.E. 13th Ave., North Miami; by appointment 305-978-4856; www.bridgeredstudios.com.