Biography

Hazel Miller’s work reflects a deep curiosity about time, impermanence, and the evolution of life. Miller explores ways to visualize the vastness of time. She takes great interest in ancient human history and in our artistic development over millennia, frequenting both art and natural history museums. Underlying her romantic ideas about nature and beauty is grief over species lost and fear about extinctions to come.

Miller's paintings are usually large or oversized. While her primary practice focuses on painting in acrylics and oils on canvas, she also works on large-scale mural projects and watercolor illustrations.

Originally from San Antonio, TX (b. 1993), Miller now calls Spokane, WA her home. She graduated from the Pacific Northwest College of Art in 2016 (Rose City Scholarship) and is a recipient of an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation grant (2018). Miller had her first solo show, “The Black Universe” in 2021 at Terrain Gallery in Spokane, WA.

Artist Statement

As much as my paintings are inspired by historical or scientific sources, they have everything to do with mystery, spirituality, and imagination. 

I often think about perceived boundaries between nature and culture. I am drawn to lush atmospheres with vibrant animal and plant life, reflecting a lifelong obsession with rainforest biomes and biodiversity. I am drawn to statuesque, ambiguous forms that feel monumental, timeless and distant. To me they come across as contemplative ancient icons or spiritual entities, not real people.

Most often I work with acrylics and oil, wet-into-wet. These mediums offer different painting experiences, and it would be difficult to commit to just one of them. With oils I love the buttery textures, the layering capabilities, and the possibility of impasto. I love the spontaneity of working with a lot of water when using acrylics, which is more of a staining process; there is nothing like the blooming of pigment across raw canvas.

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