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Artist Biography
'A traditional landscape painter', Artists and Galleries of Australia, Max Germaine, 1990
Glenn Miller
was born in country Queensland in 1956. He is a professional artist and
has participated in group and solo shows in Brisbane, the Gold Coast,
Armidale, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, New York and Paris. His works
are held in private, public and prominent corporate art collections
throughout Australia and overseas, including Perpetual Trustees, Sydney;
a large canvas titled 'Christmas Eve', now held in a private collection
in Melbourne, formerly hung at the Crown Casino.
Glenn spent his
early childhood on a vast cattle property surrounded by rugged granite
ranges, which instilled in him an indelible love for the landscape. He
received his first box of oils at age nine and immediately began
painting huge bluegums and ironbarks.
He began his
art studies under Frank De Silva at the Royal Queensland Art Society in
Brisbane, 1980. His much admired mentor shared and encouraged his passion for
the landscape. He attended the Queensland College of Art, 1981-82, with
the acclaimed colourist, John Rigby, being among his tutors.
On leaving art
college, he worked for many years as a graphic artist in the printing
industry. He was a supporter of and did volunteer
illustration and graphic art work for the Antarctic Protection Society.
During this time, he met and exhibited with Jim Edwards. The 'Jim
Edwards and Friends at the White House' show in Brisbane was his first
group exhibition.
He was selected
as a finalist in the Bicentennial Art Awards, held at the School of
Arts, Brisbane, 1988. He was successful at numerous regional art
competitions, including the winning of the
Bundaberg City Council Art Award in 1988 and 1993. His controversial
'Girl on the Beach' made the front page of the Bundaberg News Mail the
day after being given the 1988 award and is now held in the Bundaberg
Regional Art Gallery.
In 1994,
he met the New York artist and gallery director, Tim Slowinski,
who arranged his first solo exhibition and spoke highly of the works by
the first Australian artist to be featured at his Manhattan gallery.
In the
following year, his Wynne Prize entry was selected for the 'Salon Des
Refuses', held at the S. H. Ervin Gallery, Sydney; an exhibition which
attracted over 5,000 visitors.
He exhibited widely over the next few years, his works gradually gaining the interest of both corporate and private collectors.
In 1998, he
received an invitation to exhibit in the Tattersal's Landscape Art
Prize, Brisbane, organising delivery for his entry prior to travelling
south. Later in the same year, during a six month stay at Bellingen,
northern NSW, he attended a weekly drawing workshop which included the prominent
landscape artist, Kasey Sealy. On returning to Queensland in 1999, he
set up a studio at his Gympie residence, being captivated by a
magnificent view of approaching ranges.
In 2000, a
number of paintings held by his Melbourne agent were selected by
Channel Nine to be used in the filming of an episode of 'Stingers'.
In 2003, he
accepted an invitation to exhibit at Soho Galleries in Sydney after a
break of five years. Following a successful show, he undertook a trip
to the Cania Gorge near the town of Monto, where he was born. Here, he
produced many sketches and took a large number of photographs of the
narrow corridor of lush growth that had always fascinated him. On
returning to Gympie, he worked intensely on
committing the entire experience to canvas. His exhibition of these
works opened to a packed gallery in Sydney in 2004.
Glenn paints in
solitude at his Gympie studio, preferring to work in oils on Belgian
linen
but now also producing gouaches. He is best known for his sweeping
views and hillsides in striking colours. He recently began
experimenting with digital photography and manipulation of images for
use as studies for his paintings. These recent works
depict his immediate environment and the Maleny landscape, showing
subtle references to the landscapes of William Turner and the old
masters, as well as Paul Gauguin, Fred Williams, and the vibrant works
of the modern master, Willem De Kooning; all of whom are greatly
admired by the artist and have been very influential in the development
of his own style.
'I
attempt to capture a sense of "place", creating works in a painting
style that is free, expressive and intuitive.' Glenn Miller, 2008
Reviews
'These
paintings demonstrate a tempered lust of form and colour. He has
compounded his observations of the landscape into a beckoning
and tantalizing display of images.' Preston McCall, Paxton McCall Fine Art, Sante Fe, 2004
'This exhibition represents a major
development in the artist's ongoing search for individualism. He
paints expressively, yet with sensitivity, in dealing with his artistic
obsessions.' Tim Slowinski, Limner Gallery, New York, 2004
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