Steven Miller is an American artist focused on merging the aesthetically straightforward with the conceptually complex.From working hard in lofts and farmhouses to winding down with long country walks and independent films, read on to learn how this passionate colorist decorates his days.
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?
I do yoga and meditate and try to bring a focused relaxation to my day.
What inspires you to create every day?
The excitement of what each new day will bring inspires my work. I also get inspiration from current events, international travel, dreams, nature, from reading and interacting with the digital world at large. Life is so fascinating that it continually inspires me.
What does your work space look like?
I have a studio in the city and one in the country. One studio is in the loft space of an old fur factory that is more mid-century modern. My country studio is part of a 200-year-old farmhouse that is really grounded in the basics of earth, light, water and air.
Describe the core of your technique or style.
I have felt compelled to abstract images from media including print, digital, computers, electronic photography and pop culture into oils on canvas. The work I produce is all about color, form and things that appear to be simple on the surface but have a much larger and more complex reality. I am a true colorist and use heavily saturated pigments and apply them with paint brushes, palette knives, directly from the tube and with my hands. I am a Neo-Pop Colorist.
What are your top 3 studio essentials?
I love listening to all kinds of music from Jazz to EDM. I like to paint in an uninterrupted environment, so usually I paint when no one else is around. Although I don’t mind an occasional visitor. I must have the dog around.
How do you know or decide when an artwork is finished?
Sometimes the work evolves very effortlessly and quickly. Other times it can take years to truly finish a painting. Less is more—though it’s not always easy to accomplish.
What do you like to do to unwind after a day’s work?
I love to see other artists’ artworks in galleries, museums and in art studios. Lose myself in a good independent film. Take long walks and take in both urban and country landscapes.
What’s your overall favorite aspect of the creative process?
Loosing all sense of time, dimension, whereabouts and transcending other senses. I am transported when I work and hope that my efforts will affect my audience in this same beautifully imperfect way.
