There’s a breadth – and a breath – to James Miller’s landscape paintings. While he doesn’t compose en plien air, he starts with and in the natural world, crafting numerous studies that will build to the crescendo of a finished work in his studio. So it’s not just the colours and forms that resonate from the canvas, but atmosphere and texture.
“My fascination with the Newfoundland coastline is in the details of the colours, the textures, and the light. Always changing, never the same. Each summer I explore the coastal coves and beaches in search of artistic inspiration. The effects of sunlight on the coastal environment is never ending in its intrigue and potential as a source for my next creation.”
He describes his work as realism, classic and contemporary, but some of his influences are, unexpectedly, surrealists like Salvador Dali and Max Ernst. “Because what they give you is freedom. Dali said there are no rules, I am making my marks, some of it is real and some of it isn’t.” Miller’s works are embedded with symbolism, juxtaposition, metaphor, and trompe-l’oeil. Every element is important, precisely selected, and part of a story.
“These seascapes emerge from time spent where the land meets the seas of the North Atlantic. The waves bring with them the elements of: light; shadow; line; colour; space; form; shape and pattern. These fundamental elements inspire my artistic vision within all of my work.”
James Miller was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. His studies include the Fine Arts program at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design from 1974-1975, the Fine Arts program at John Abbot College in Montreal from 1978–1979 and at A.O.C.A from 1979–1983. Miller has exhibited in solo exhibitions in St. John’s, New York, Atlanta, Georgia, Boston and across Canada.
Work by James Miller is part of public collections such as the Provincial Art Bank of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Memorial University Permanent Collection, the Municipal Collection of the City of St. John’s, the Canada Council Art Bank, and the Government of Scotland. It can also be found in corporate and private collections across Canada, the United States and the UK.
Cove #1 - Morning Essence
And the Light Shines Through
In the Glimmering Light of the Morning Mist
The Sun, the Moon and the Evening Tide
And the Light Prevails
In the Calm of the Morning Sea
In the Quiet Light of Dawn
Moment of Arrival (Lumsden)
The Sun, the Mist and the Morning Sea
City of the Sea
A Place in the Sun
Seafarer
Life Boat
Islands in the Sun