Endangered Rivers - Recent Paintings by Ben Miller

The Endangered Rivers paintings, like the rivers themselves, are complex layers of color and transparency. Each work is created in reverse, with marks made on the back of a plexiglass panel. When turned around, the first strikes of paint represent surface reflections and whitewater rills. These highlights are then backed by successive color layers of deeper and darker forms. While his preparation is calculated, the execution must be spontaneous. He must first find the right spot, then read the river and the day. Miller's stated goal for these works is to mark down the truth of a river, not something he thinks it should be.
In this sense, Miller's paintings are not abstractions but a collection of moments that reflect the onrushing life of things in constant, and constantly varied, collision - a complex snapshot of one place on a particular day. Miller's Endangered Rivers express the idea, that small parts of the world can hold our deepest attention, and looking closely offers great rewards.

Category: Arts | Visual Arts | Galleries / Art