Lee Miller
A compelling idea overrides everything else. At least that’s the credo that has guided Lee Miller’s work for the past several decades. It has become central to his practice as an artist now—in addition to his ongoing exploration of how the immense power of ideas manifest themselves in the diminutive art object.
The current pandemic and resulting lockdown gave Lee the time and space for greater creative introspection—resulting in a dynamic new series that explores the intimate nuances possible in smaller-scale works. Part of the pursuit of this intersection of form and meaning is out of practicality: his hectic travel schedule in previous years has limited his materials to those which are portable, lending themselves to a traveling studio space. What these limitations have paradoxically opened up to him is a new avenue for creative exploration, in which he combines drawing and painting with endless experimentation with various materials, shapes, and textures. In other words, having a traveling studio and working on this type of art allows Miller to live a creative life, stay focused, and continuously come up with new ideas to explore.
Some of his works are based on obsessive mark-making and the act of creating them becomes a form of daily meditation. In these works, Miller dives into the minutiae of the very matter of our being. In some of his art, small hatches become the grid-like striations one would expect to see through the lens of a microscope examining amoebae. In others, he creates texture and patterns on painted surfaces to echo topography, whether it alludes to the sweeping landscape or the intricate and delicate patterns found in each facet of a crystal or geode. Within these explorations, it is the idea that reigns supreme. Art becomes a vehicle for an idea to come forth, and he follows that inspiration by channeling its monumentality into each individual mark made.
Lee Miller earned a BA in Graphic Design from Penn State University before launching his career. He climbed the ranks of the design world to become a creative director and to eventually run his own post-production company. Beyond his primary focus in the realm of motion graphics design, Lee has held a parallel passion for painting and drawing—having studied painting at both the New School and the Art Students League in New York City. Lee lives and works in New York City, the place he has called home for more than 25
