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Art News figure portrait realism

Kid’s Portrait Finished

So happy to finally share this with you.

This portrait was a commission by the father of the children you see in this painting. It’s a birthday present for his wife. So, I’ve been waiting for him to give it to her before I reveal it to you.

As you can see, I was going for realism here. I wanted to capture their likeness, and he says I did a great job. He provided me two photos as source material and I joined them together to make a digital composite, which I painted from.

This is the first time I’ve done a portrait commission for someone I didn’t know and who found me online. The painting took a few weeks to complete.

Here’s a really short video of the paintings progression.

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Art News cityscapes landscapes past favorites realism

SOLD

This is Tony. He’s the hardworking small business owner of Sunnyside Landscaping. He recently did a large paving job for our family. Excellent work by the way. Our new and old patios look great.

Anyway, one day I was showing Tony around my studio and he saw this painting of the Royal Oak water tower. He talked about how much time his wife would spend there with their kids when they were little. I said that I had done the same with my girls, and that was one of the reasons I painted it.

To make a long story short. Tony’s and his wife are the new proud owners of Water Tower. He got it for her as a gift.

Nice job Tony, and thanks a bunch.

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all paintings landscapes new paintings process animation realism

Ben Jamin | painting progress animation

This repeating animated gif file shows the development of my latest painting titled, Ben Jamin.

The realistic landscape depicts the Benjamin Avenue Viaduct in Royal Oak, Michigan toward the end of winter.

There are several dilapidated 1930’s viaducts in Royal Oak. They are a point of contention with the residents of the city for various reasons, including questionable structural safety, potholes, trash, and graffiti.

A year or so ago, a friend of mine, artist Carl Oxley III, decided to call attention to the state of disrepair the viaduct near his place was in, and he painted a mural of his signature bunnies on the wall. Well, it turns out graffiti is illegal and someone complained about it to the city. The city responded very swiftly by apprehending Carl and painting over his bunny mural with gray paint. (See my rendition below) Carl learned a thing or two through this process about the city and how it has no control over railroad crossings, but plenty over covering up graffiti.

Anyway, to make a long story short, his story stuck with me. I found myself taking pictures of the viaduct on Benjamin Ave., near my studio, toward the end of winter/early spring. This painting is the result of my curiosity. I love the stains on the concrete, and the texture of the leaves and potholes. I like the subtle differences of the gray squares covering old graffiti and the peeling paint. I like the light, the shadows, and the perspective. Most importantly, I like the challenge it was representing this space accurately. On the sidewalk, I’ve included one of Carl’s bunny yard signs under some leaves, as an homage. He sold those yard signs to people who wanted to support his cause of calling attention to the problem.

Check out this painting in my portfolio.

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all paintings interiors new paintings process animation realism still life

The making of Stasis Hiatus

stop motion animation showing the development of the painting titled, "Stasis Hiatus" by Steve Miller.

I began painting “Stasis Hiatus” in November of 2018. This has been one of the most rewarding and  difficult paintings I’ve made to date.

Originally, I was open to portraying the interior loosely and painterly, inspired by an artist I stumbled upon on Instagram. However, as I went along, I found myself excited by the prospect of pushing the image realistically, and taming the visual chaos of the room.

I am portraying a moment I experience often when walking into my studio. The need to decide whether to get to work on a painting that I’m not fully invested in yet, or play the drums for instant gratification.

My father used to talk to me about the subject often. He felt the need for instant gratification was a real stumbling block in our society. I can see his point, however, procrastination can also lead to creativity.

Look At My Painting “Stasis Hiatus“.

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figure realism representational

Dress Makers

Image of a Painting by Steve Miller titled, "Dress Makers".
9″x12″, acrylic on wood panel with 1.5″ profile, completed 10/10/18, © Steve Miller 2018

Boredom leads to creativity. This small painting of my girls was made from a photo I took of them toward the end of summer 2018, after complaining about being bored.

I’ve posted some of the progress shots on my Instagram and Facebook page.

Dress Makers portfolio post

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all paintings figure new paintings realism

Finishing a Portrait of Tiff

Working on this little portrait of my awesomely awesome wife, Tiffany. I’m just about done with it, I’ll get a solid photo soon, but first I want to paint portraits of my beautiful girls too.