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| Mermates |
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| Copyright Pamela Miller |
Rustic, abstract, and wrought
with emotion, Pamela Miller's work leaves us wanting more. Not only in her paintings of nether creatures, but
in her modern art creations. It is magick on canvas, and we crave to have one of her paintings hang on our
wall. Join us as Pamela gives insight into her creative nature and the magic that has inspired her all her life....
the belief in the Nether and all its creatures....
What inspired you to create
in this genre and what inspired your designs?
First let me say, when you believe in magic, magical things will happen to you. I have always believed in magic.
One of the things I remember my mother always told me is that she found me under a mushroom. And so as a child I spent
many warm afternoons searching under rocks, in the garden, up in the trees and in the streams looking for fairies and leprechauns
or other magical creatures. Even today as an adult, when I dive into the cool, sparkling waters of the ocean (or
a pool), I am transformed into a graceful and lovely mermaid. I feed my beliefs on a diet of fantasy and science fiction
novels as well as playing fantasy based computer games.
It was very natural for me to want to paint magical creatures since I have spent so much time in their world.
Three years ago, I did my first series of fantasy paintings featuring mermaids and fairies. These paintings called "Magical
Little Creatures" are almost always done as miniatures either ACEOs (2.5 x 3.5) or small format (4x7 and 5x7).
In the beginning I did one very large painting called "Mermates" as a tribute to soul mates everywhere. I
also did several fairy/angel paintings as a tribute to a fallen artist friend (she passed away from breast cancer) and then
decided I liked the smaller format for working on my fantasy pieces.
| Starfire |
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| Copyright Pamela Miller |
How long have you been painting? I can't remember a time when I wasn't painting.
I do remember how I started my career as a paid artist. It was quite simple. When I was a little girl I would
paint every day and if someone came over to ask what I was doing, my response was always," Making a painting! For
25 cents, you can have it!". I'd then sit back and wait expectantly for them to fish the quarter out
of their pocket and upon receiving it, I would sign my name at the bottom and hand the painting over with a dimple and my
thanks.
My Journey
I was born near Baltimore, Maryland into a family that encouraged
my creative passions in a myriad of ways. My father was a prominent business owner and instilled in me the value of an entrepreneurial
attitude. My mother, also a business professional and artist in her own right, provided me with art supplies and training
tools to develop my artistic talents. As a child, I worked in crayons, finger paints, pastels and molding clays then moved
into oil paints, acrylics and watercolors as a young adult. But no matter what the medium, my parents both told me that the
only limits I had in creating were those that I placed on myself. Being near the museums of both Washington, DC and Baltimore,
MD., my family spent weekends exploring and studying the works of the famous masters with me, in order to further my education.
While in high school, I began to refine and hone my art by concentrating on technical accuracy and proper perspective
through painting in realistic manner. However, over time, I felt constrained and began experimenting in an abstract style
more suited to my boundless imagination. I received many accolades and awards in school for my artworks and went on to study
at Maryland Institute of Art in the summer of 1985. As a young adult, I succumbed to the needs of everyday life and went to
school for Computer Engineering, working in the technology industry for a number of years. However, the creative fires that
smoldered within me began to burn brightly and I decided to go back and focus my time exclusively in the art world.
| Pixie Kisses |
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| Copyright Pamela Miller |
Are
you self taught or formally educated?
Both. I went to summer school at MICA or Maryland Institute of Art (studied art
throughout my school years). In addition, I have always devoured books, classes, videos/DVDs on processes, techniques
etc. I think educating ones self is very important but I also believe in experimentation and breaking the rules.
I believe that artistic talent/vision is something that you are born with and thus a self taught artist can sometimes surpass
a trained artist in skill, originality and popularity.
Where do you create
your art?
For my "Magical Little Creatures" series, I create them EVERYWHERE.
My all time favorite place to paint them is poolside and that is why I only do new ones in the summer. For my more ambitious
paintings (high-end pieces seen on my millermodernart.com website), I have a studio in my home where I work several days a
week.
What is your favorite medium?
Must
I choose? The signature in almost all of my paintings, either acrylic or mixed media, is metallic pigments/acrylic paints.
I think of myself as a magpie and enjoy a bit of sparkle in every creation. I would also consider myself a bit of a
mad scientist or adventurer. I will try anything once! I follow that philosophy in both work (my paintings) and
play.
In what ways do you stretch yourself to make your work grow?
Well, as any professional artist that paints daily will tell you, just the act of creating
causing causes you to grow and get better. I do like to push the envelope by looking at other techniques, mediums, and
subject matters and if I think for a moment "I can't do that", I'm damn sure going to try it! In this
way I have come across some happy accidents that add to my unique style.
What artists, dead or living, inspire you?
I love the impressionists
i.e. Monet, Van Gogh etc. I also like Picasso, Max, Dali and more. I view all artists as my inspiration (whether
I like it or if it's on my "I will NEVER do that!" list) and although my personal tastes lean towards abstract,
I can appreciate and be inspired by realistic works as well.
What is the major venue you use to sell your work?
I started 3 years ago using online venues like eBay and Overstock
Auctions to sell my art. I also worked with several local galleries. Over the past few years I have branched out
and begun offering my fine art through my own ecommerce site www.millermodernart.com, international high end galleries, juried fine art
shows and I continue to run specials/sales through online venues.
What advice do you give beginning artists?
Being a full time
artist is difficult. Be sure that your heart and head are in the game. You will have to create fresh new works
of art monthly and you will have to wear many other hats including business owner, book keeper, and marketing/ sales executive.
However, if you can't see yourself being happy doing anything else, being an artist can feed your soul, surround you with
bliss and bring you and your fans/collectors great happiness.
Do you have a website or other contact information for buyers to reach you?
My high end works can be found
and purchased at www.millermodernart.com. I offer other paintings, ACEOs (art cards, originals and
editions) t-shirts, cards, skateboards and other merchandise featuring my art at http://allyon67.etsy.com. If you are interested in news, artist features (artists
I like) and new products (featured and new works by me), my blog can be found at http://pmillerabstractart.blogspot.com. This month I will be kicking off my summer
clearance sale with some of my fantasy paintings and I will post purchasing information on my blog and in my newsletter, so
stay tuned!
Working on commissioned pieces?
Spend time learning from your client why they are
"inspired" to purchase this commission. Sometimes their enthusiasm is enough to inspire you to put your heart
into it. If you don't know the client or their inspiration, spend some time creating your own vision of their inspiration
or make the subject matter your inspiration by creating your own story behind it. This can take a few minutes or at
most a day, but I find I am never discouraged or bored doing a commission if I take those simple steps before starting.
For example, I often do paintings of new homes for real estate agents to give to their clients as settlement gifts.
Before beginning the painting, I think about the joy I felt when buying a new home and the vision I had for decorating, landscaping
etc. Then I photo the home and paint it with landscaping or seasonal touches that make the project fun for me to complete.
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