GREG MILLER
These are road paintings. Like the movies of the great American film genre, Greg Miller’s densely collaged works invite viewers to embark upon epic journeys. A symbol of opportunity and exploration, the open road has long been used in American cinema to tell stories of individual self discovery, as well as to reflect shifting national identities. Miller’s paintings mirror this notion of the intrinsically linked relationship between the self and the collective culture. Continually drawing inspiration from his own early memories of road trips and ghost towns, Miller’s visual vocabulary is mined from the great American west. Born in 1951, the artist came of age in the Bay Area in the 1960s and 70s, a time when America’s projected Post-War idealism was at odds with tumultuous political and social conflict.There are clear parallels to Pop in Miller’s work they have the billboard like energy and sensual rendering of Rosenquist, the borrowed commercial imagery of Warhol, and the rough and rugged aesthetic of Rauschenberg, however Miller’s brand of visual narrative is uniquely his own. Meticulously sourced and collected over the years, Miller utilizes text and imagery culled from mid century magazines, pulp fiction and dime store novels. Immortalizing the ephemeral against his expertly rendered paintings often of gorgeous femme fatales - Miller creates a palpable sense of romance, both erotic and nostalgic. What is striking about Miller’s work is that it does not appear to operate on a linear time scale. Rather, Miller’s particular juxtaposition of fragmented imagery from different decades creates an intriguing and enigmatic space where feelings of deja vu take us down the winding avenues of memory, beckoning to us like an open road.
Greg Miller, Good & Plenty, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on 2 Panels, 60” x 108”
Greg Miller, Eyeful, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 60” x 48”
Greg Miller, I Love You, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 48” x 48”
Greg Miller, Love, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 48” x 48”
Greg Miller, Pop, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 48” x 48” Right: Detail - Pop
Greg Miller, West, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 70” x 45”
Rapid Changes in Proteins Shows Birth of Matter, acrylic, alkyd and silkscreen on canvas, 67.5 x 90 inches
Greg Miller, Whisky A GoGo, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 48” x 60”
WOMEN OUTLAWS
The rifle-wielding heroine of Greg Miller’s painting, Women Outlaws is painted in bold, graphic colors that reference illustrations found on the covers of dime store novels and pulp fictions. Dramatically framed and cinematically cropped, the composition is dynamically charged. Camera in hand, cocked like a pistol, Miller’s femme fatale is intensely looking back, while charging forward. Her fearless command of the camera, combined with her take-no-prisoners expression upends the notion of the male gaze, defying objectification while roaring into the future.
Greg Miller, Woman Outlaws, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 60” x 48”
Greg Miller, How Girls Get Into Pictures, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 48” x 48”
Greg Miller, Romantic, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 48” x 48”
Greg Miller, Dots, 2017, Acrylic, Collage Paper, Resin on Panel 60” x 48”
IN MEMORY OF MICHAEL MEW
Working with found imagery and ephemera collected over his career, Michael Mew creates dynamic collages that pair the fantastic with the mundane to create spectacular new visual landscapes. His process is layered and nuanced - working intuitively, Mew’s compositions arise from an unlocking of the subconscious mind. Mew utilized straight sewing pins to hold his cut images in place in this latest collection of collages. The use of pins creates a a dense architectural structure adding an element of depth and dimension to the 2-D surfaces. Uniting sometimes disparate elements, Mew creates a new and imaginative narrative inside each collage.
Mew, Beyond Butter Rum, 2015, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12� x 34�
Michael Mew, Final Exit, 2015, acrylic, paper collage on panel, 40” x 60”
Michael Mew, The Man Who Thinks #4, 2012, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 11” x 39”
Michael Mew, Wings Over Unnaturals, 2015, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 11” x 40”
Michael Mew, A Hole In My Soul, 2011, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 8” x 38”
Michael Mew, The Man Who Thinks #5, 2012, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12” x 38”
Michael Mew, Ban Science Comics, 2015, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 15� x 12�
Michael Mew, Space Western #2, 2012, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12� x 15�
Michael Mew, Hold It Jim, 2015, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12” x 12” Right: Michael Mew, Here Come The Freaks, 2012, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12” x 9”
Michael Mew, Leakproof, 2015, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12” x 12” Michael Mew, Other Worlds...Weird Wonders, 2012, paper, collage, pins on foam core, 12” x 9”
Michael Mew, Machine Age Flamingos, 2015, paper, collage, pins on foam core, v10.5� x 13.5�