SUBMERGED
Traversing the boundary between sculpture, collage, and painting, Greg Miller’s practice is comprised of illustrative, painterly elements that are enmeshed with clippings from newspapers, magazines, and other print media. Transforming the familiarity of his materials into something new, his continued construction and deconstruction of the surface echoes the ephemerality of printed matter. Drawing on his Californian roots, Miller explores the connection between environment and pop culture, all while painting each visual element by hand.
In his new works, Miller revisits his series of swimmers submerged in water that brings forth fantasy and imagination. Constructing underwater realms that capture a moment of pause within the constantly changing and moving form of water, Miller’s works highlight the quiet tranquility of water and nature; recounting days spent sinking and floating, still and peaceful.
Emphasizing surface quality and texture, Miller’s collage-like process approaches light as both a subject and medium. Dynamically combining mixed medias of acrylic paint, found and repurposed paper materials, and a resin topcoat, the depth achieved mimics that of the bodies of water depicted. Gradients of cerulean, indigo, and cobalt illuminate the flecks of light refracting through the water and against the subjects’ skin. Masterfully manipulating spatial perception and luminescence, the visual shifts in Miller’s works establish zen-like environments suggest the passing of time and moments of man intruding nature.
“I’m a contemporary cave painter, an archaeologist of sorts. Imagery comes from old art books, garbage cans, book stores (if any are left), junk piles, walls…” Miller explains. “I draw from the diverse cultural and geographic makeup of my California roots. I keep exploring my relationship with the space that I inhabit to communicate a particular experience. I continue to appropriate, work with paint, collage, deconstruct exploring the contradiction, ambiguity, and truth between urban streetscape and history.”
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JoAnne Artman Gallery 326 N Coast Highway, Laguna Beach, CA 92651 | 511A West 22nd St. New York, NY 10011 Telephone: 949-510-5481 | E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.joanneartmangallery.com
