Through January 11, 2011
While attending
the art fairs in Chicago this past May, I stumbled upon a small booth
rented by LVL3 Gallery based in Chicago. In the corner of the smaller
and more experimental Next Fair, Easton Miller’s small suite of
paintings were some of the few works that really stood out to me after
a marathon day of art finding. Miller uses a range of materials to
make work that cross-pollinates between sculpture and painting with
humor and intelligence. His most recent pieces are humorous one-liners
about products and celebrities with mainstream American appeal. His
choice of layered materials and paint, this combination can be heavily
symbolic but also perfectly paired with his more acute sensibility to
paint and its role in the work. Relying on his blocks of visual
information the works celebrate the battle between candor and an
observed restrain. His continued exploration into the hybrid of mediums
allows for an active and at times odd blend of object and illusion.
The paintings exist in a space that allows for mystery and subtlety,
ultimately questioning its physical and conceptual structure. DT
Artist Biography: Miller earned his BFA from The School of
The Art Institute of Chicago. His recent and upcoming exhibitions
include MAda Shell Gallery, Ashland, Oregon; Jolie Laide Gallery, San
Francisco; LVL3 Gallery, Chicago; The Great Poor Farm Experiment,
Wisconsin; Heaven Gallery, Chicago. Miller lives and works in Chicago.
Photo by Shaun Alvey.
