Peter Miller
Peter uses the objects contained within the paintings to depict the illusion of a story or an allusion to a story without a pre-determined narrative. The spatial element within the painting creates a sense of disquiet, of an altered reality where shadows play an important part, giving a sense of time passing, of the days end, and the disquiet that can be evoked with the image of twilight.
Peter Miller was born in the Waikato. After surfing around
coastal New Zealand he moved to Auckland where he earned a diploma
of Visual Arts from Manukau Institute of Technology Art and Design
School in 1998. From there he describes himself as becoming a
"serious artist" dedicating himself to his painting.
Miller can best be classified as a contemporary still life
painter. He has chosen to play with that same theme but to reinvent
it in a subtle manner, using simple common objects of personal
significance and beauty such as toys and household items. The
damaged, worn, and broken objects within these paintings indicate
the fragility and impermanence of material possessions and through
this the fragile nature of life itself. The toys show signs of wear
and tear, referencing the passing of childhood and through this
also the passing of time. They may also provoke a sense of
nostalgia within the viewer, signifiers of a childhood passed and
no longer attainable.
Lately he has begun to use the human form more within his work.
This comes partly from his pleasure in and admiration of the human
body but also from the ability to create a stronger sense of
narrative within the work through the use of the figure.
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