Erin Miller

New York Academy of Art

Departure From, 2019
oil on canvas, 48 x 24 inches

Tell us about the work that you have submitted.
The act of departure is a generational cycle – of pushing away from a home that is familiar toward something hopefully better, albeit unknown. In this journey, a modern-day pioneer sits in a moment of tenuous and hopeful waiting for where the journey will take her.

How would you describe your studio practice?
My practice is evolving through my current experience in graduate school, but consistent in hunting for my language in figure-based narrative painting. My work is becoming more and more invented from an original moment of a seen, real-life inspiration toward more imagined and narratively strong environments.

With the pandemic forcing the world to rethink how we keep moving forward, do you feel encouraged or inspired in your own studio practice to persevere despite these challenges?
The pandemic forced me to zero in on what I need to generate ideas for my work. Rather than searching out inspiration in new places with new people, I felt like an explorer in my home. I learned how to playfully manipulate and imagine in otherwise mundane spaces.

Website: www.erinmillerartist.com
Instagram: @erin_miller_artist