SNAPSHOTS
My mother and brother; the painting captures her characteristic tension despite the serene pose.
Baba, my great-grandmother from Riga. She died when I was about ten and I knew her fairly well but she remains a mystery to me, and she’s usually very reluctant to let me paint her.
My brother and I obediently ignoring whatever drama is going on in the background.
My mother on a bench, not sure where – possibly Queens, NY. I’m overcome by that smile; I think it belongs to WWII and hasn’t been seen since, on anyone.
My grandmother from Riga and her dog Shep in her Pennsylvania backyard circa 1985.
My Russian step-grandfather standing behind a rose bush, God knows why.
Nana and me. I do not look happy here.
SCENES FROM CHINA 2005-2007
Heading home after a visit to Tiananmen Square.
From a photo I took when I was somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be. Part of a project of painting people from the back.
I followed these monks through an art market in Xi’an one ghostly gray early morning.
A tea shop, from a photo I took – I think – in Anhui province, but I could be wrong about that.
Coming down Yellow Mountain in heavy fog.
A Temple in Xi’an.
And one I just like, from a photo taken somewhere in Italy. My friend Dea is playing it nonchalant, as usual.
Copyright 2024 Mike Miller, LLC
Contact mikemiller@asmikemiller.com