SUE A. MILLER | Artist Statement

My passion for the natural world grew through my upbringing in rural Ontario, Canada. I spent a great deal of time exploring my local environment -- forests, wetlands, and waterways -- which activated my imagination and provided me with solace, grounding me to a set of interconnected spaces whose beauty and complexity I found fascinating. This continues to propel my creative drive along with my commitment to sharing the message of responsible stewardship of the planet. Through a visual language that reflects the universal through the personal, my work aims to remind the viewer of our spiritual and primal connection to nature in the hopes of achieving a harmonious existence in the present and for our future.

With my roots in landscape painting, I often explore deeper into the microcosms of the natural elements resulting in a large collection of experimental abstracts using painting tools such as large palette knives and window squeegees, the reference to the natural environment everpresent. I am very inspired by the work of Gerhard Richter for his painting techniques and William Turner’s later work - his sublime visions of landscape. My subject matter oscillates between abstraction and reality, but the colour palette, mark-making and inspiration are the same and reflect my creative aims. The work evolves intuitively, using visual memory, exploring the basic and abstracted qualities of nature; transparency, reflection, depth, movement and texture. Layers of oil paint are applied and removed using tools such as pallet knives, squeegees and catalyst wedges, until an image emerges that reveals the essence of the subject. The mystery of humanity’s complex relationship with the environment are revealed at an emotional level.

In recent years I’ve been exploring immersive installation, including suspended sculpture and soundscapes, as a more effective way of creating experiential intimacy and connection. My work continues to be a process of psychogeography, an investment of the self into our natural surroundings, which ultimately calls on the viewer to question their own relationship and behaviour towards our environment.

Biography

Growing up in rural Ontario, and currently splitting her time between the South Georgian Bay region of Ontario and rural Newfoundland, has informed Sue’s artistic journey which is motivated by environmental stewardship and humanity’s primal connection to our environment. After attaining a Fine Arts diploma from Georgian College in Barrie, Sue spent time travelling Europe, building a house and raising three children. Whether working from her studio in the beautiful village of Creemore, Ontario, or from her home on the shores of Conception Bay, Newfoundland, Sue has produced work that has been exhibited in Canada and Europe and is held in private collections across North America, Europe and Japan. Her work is represented by galleries in Ontario and British Columbia. Along with her 25 year studio practice, Sue has an extensive teaching career spanning 30 years and includes working with First Nations in Newfoundland/Labrador and Nova Scotia, Autism Ontario and part-time summer faculty at Sir Sanford Fleming College, Haliburton Campus. Sue has taken on several active volunteer rolls in her local communities as co-founder of a local artist-run centre, jurying community art exhibits, facilitating in the schools, installing exhibitions and curating for the first ever public art gallery in Wasaga Beach, Ontario.

Please inquire for a full CV.