studio image © Jacqueline Faye Miller
It is a great pleasure to introduce to you a colleague, friend and wonderfully versatile artist, Jacqueline Faye Miller.
I met Jackie a few years ago through a mutual artist friend; they are both part of The Mix Artist Collective. Recently I have had the opportunity to get to know her better; last December she joined St. George Studio taking over my former spot when I moved over to my new location. There are many things I admire about Jackie, her loose brushstrokes, her use of colour (especially red, which I find tricky), her desire to continue to grow and learn, her lack of fear in trying something new, her willingness to grab an old canvas and paint over it without being all precious and sentimental about it. Besides these things, I especially admire her confidence and her versatility. Jackie is not tied to any one genre of painting- she confidently and boldly paints a variety of subjects and also ventures into abstraction. She is a fun studio mate who enjoys a good laugh, snacks and a nice glass of wine (as you can see by the glass on the table in the background) ... my kind of gal!
Jacqueline is Saskatchewan born, but has also lived in Manitoba and Alberta. For many years she worked as a self-taught artist, but eventually began taking classes through the University of Saskatchewan Certificate of Art and Design and completed the curriculum in 2010. She highly recommends this program for anyone wishing to expand their artistic horizons as she found the instructors to be impressive and the learning experiences they provided to be invaluable.
Jackie is versatile in her art practice which, for her, creates somewhat of an internal struggle because she does not have a consistent theme and style to her work and she regularly ponders whether this is good or bad. She says, "I really have a hard time staying in the lines. I can do a series for a period of time, but then I have to switch it up a bit." Personally I don't think it is a question of good or bad, I think it is what is right for her and it is how she needs to express all that she needs to express.
Jackie spent quite a bit of time preparing for this blog post, which is much appreciated. I love that she sent me a list of words which she feels are good descriptors of herself and her practice:
- versatile
- prolific
- varying styles
- diverse
- changing genres
- series (driven)
- creative phases
- experimental
- multiple directions
She also sent a wonderful write-up which I will share with you rather than re-writing it:
"I have this ongoing conversation with
myself – whether to focus on one style, genre or theme or not. At any one time
I can be working on a still life, landscape, cityscape or abstract. Even my
studios are diverse. I usually work on acrylics in my home studio and play with
oils in my St. George studio space. They are both places to experiment and
expand my styles. The one consistent thing I can say is that
I have become known for my cityscapes and residential views, although my style for these has evolved
over the years.
Dento Fuori - Inside Outside
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
I am rarely without my camera when I am visiting cities. I
compose the view I see and use this as a reference for my work. I am intrigued
with certain angles the homes are at and the architectural interest of each
home. Most of the homes I paint have been in their spots for a long time
lending to beautiful large trees that engulf the structures. I am inspired by
the way the sky filters through the leaves, the details of the power lines and
poles. I value the way the light reflects off the structure and the different
colors of the homes and buildings which give each place their own personality.
I am not limited to what I paint. I can be
caught up in the detail of a view, paint it as I see it then edit half or ¾ of
it out in the next brush stroke. I love the confident strokes in my floral
paintings the looseness and color pops of my prairie scapes. When I look back
on my abstracted pieces the common thread to these works is space and pops of
color here and there. Most have definite depths of texture, but most recently
the depth of texture is gone and replaced with very little texture. There is
something very pleasant about that.
I have always been creative in some form as
far back as I can remember and have the greatest support and receive amazing
encouragement from family, friends, collectors, art friends and acquaintances. My focus became more intense in visual art
after I made a decision to move to Saskatoon. I finally decided to let art in
and opened the door to it. Since that time there have been many opportunities
pushing me forward into the art world. Not every opportunity is ideal, however
every opportunity offers a teaching moment. I’m always looking forward to what
will be the next opportunity coming up. It seems one thing always leads to
another."
It is true that Jackie is extremely prolific and also extremely busy as you can see by the list of current and upcoming exhibitions of her work...
"ROSSO" - City Perks coffee house - on now (through the Stall Gallery)
- painted specifically for the newly
renovated space: a practice in taking a previous painted piece and cropping and
editing out the detail:
Rosso Per Speranza - Red For Hope
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
“SPIRIT” - Calories restaurant - July 14th – August 25th
a representational exhibit
of residential areas from Montreal and Saskatoon.
Il Bagliore del Sole - The Glow of the Sun
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
Ingresso Distanto - Distant Entrance
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
“INSPIRATION” - Black
Spruce Gallery - July 19 – August 1st
- representing the
lake and cabins of the Christopher Lake area north of Prince Albert.
- opening reception Saturday July 20th, 7:00 – 9:00 (located on Hwy #2 at Northside just south of the junction to
Christopher Lake)
Wind Through the Trees
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
Towering Spruce
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
Jackie has many avid collectors and her work can be found in private, public and corporate collections throughout Canada. Earlier this year she received the Kyle Memorial Award for "Red Sky at Night" at the Mann Art Gallery Winter Festival, a juried show and sale in Prince Albert, Sask. As well, the non-profit
Red Sky at Night
© Jacqueline Faye Miller
group that creates the
content for Herstory: The Canadian Women's Calendar (published by Coteau Books) has invited Jackie to have her work represented in the calendar for 2014. With the year only half-way through, I am excited to see what else might materialize for her!
Jackie is inspired by and finds energy through two other passions in her life: her beautiful yard...
images © Jacqueline Faye Miller
... and one of her best friends...
image © Jacqueline Faye Miller
You can find Jackie online by clicking on the following links:
The Black Spruce Gallery
Calories Restaurant
Art In Canada
Artists In Canada
Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting
Calories Restaurant
Art In Canada
Artists In Canada
Saskatchewan Network for Art Collecting
Something you wouldn't know about Jackie unless you read this post... she really gets a kick out of "Marcel the Shell with shoes on"!
I hope you have enjoyed discovering another wonderful Saskatchewan artist. With any questions or queries please contact Jackie at jfmiller@sasktel.net.
I hope you have enjoyed discovering another wonderful Saskatchewan artist. With any questions or queries please contact Jackie at jfmiller@sasktel.net.
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