~JAMES MILLER .. DREW MILLER
WAY, WAY – WAY BEYOND THE SQUARE !!
detail, JAMES MILLER. YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS. APRIL 27-28, 2013.
so, yeah. there was some real hardcore tension, thinking, and all around .. FUN STUFF happening in the work.
detail, JAMES MILLER.
‘plasticity’ in painting, y’all know what I mean.
outrageous detailing, grad students .. y’all know what I mean.
so, I’m thinking, yeah .. the key to the ‘plastic’ dance is on the desk, and no – it’s not the computer.
haha.
there’s a ‘pictorial’ interloper ..
in the higher realms of fine art .. that be grad school at Yale !!
yep it be that comic book .. on the desk / right square in the pride of place on James’ desk.
a comic book by his younger brother .. DREW MILLER.
and way fun .. and way sharp !! it is.
and what a mighty dialog between bros .. ensues !!
between ‘high’ art and .. ‘low’ art.
‘POOR THING NUMBER ONE’ by DREW MILLER
“it was always my favorite place to visit . . .”
I love comic art – always have since forever. since I was a kid.
and reborn, when Simon turned me onto Moebius in the 80s.
POP ART .. well that goes without saying: obvious.
Japanese Edo period woodblock prints too.
but being in NEW YORK CITY, esp BROOKLYN !! since year 2000 – a-m-a-z-i-n-g.
it made me realize that actually, no – there were no comic book artists in the Yale grad program.
not much illustrative or media art in general. no way-out collage artists, either. whatever.
some of the drop-off was good.
painting: it was some pretty serious stuff. for the most part.
no faux street artists .. for sure !! maybe that’s a good thing !!
no goths. no Viking ships. bats. or found photos. (thank the lordy)
and come to think of it. not one, NOT even one – ARTFORUM hanging around, either.
so much for the has-been bible of the art world .. cutting edge ?
apparently .. not.
like the man says: “WITCHIN’ HOURS” !!
page from: DREW MILLER – ‘POOR THING NUMBER ONE’.
but comic book art – is not to be dropped off. no way.
COMIC BOOK ART is alive and well.
COMIC BOOK ART is a good thing – just ask half of NEW YORK CITY !!
DESERT ISLAND, SMOKE SIGNAL, PICTUREBOX, and . . . BERGEN STREET COMICS, come to mind, right away !!
but damn, what happened to the BROOKLYN COMICS & GRAPHICS FEST: good night ??!!
also: BCGF, no more – THE BEAT
back to .. alive and well ?
ADRIAN TOMINE .. comes to mind – right off the bat.
a couple of ‘fine art’ artists like TAYLOR McKIMENS, BRIAN CHIPPENDALE, and MATT LEINES, pop up too.
and then, of course there’s the rest of the world, Oregon (!!!) .. where comic book art is still happening, apparently. right along with DIY zines, and countless small press .. ‘indies’.
DREW MILLER .. ‘POOR THING NUMBER ONE’ is published by: NEOGLYPHIC MEDIA .. outta PORTLAND, OREGON
yeah, I can see the dialog between JAMES and DREW .. it’s kind of a ‘blob .. thing. haha.
check out: poorthingpress / drewmillerart.tumblr.com
DREW MILLER .. ” NEVER. HE CAN NEVER KNOW”.
I think that pretty much says it all. or sums it up.
art world. grad school … life. the works !!
ART BROS: DREW MILLER and JAMES MILLER
2 sides of the coin !!
I caught this photo .. somewhere in the room !!
it’s just striking, no matter how you cut it.
and when I left the room, tumbled about as I was, I did take note – of a small ‘bro’ homage .. up there in a corner above the doorway.
so, yeah .. in a conceptual stretch – DREW MILLER made it to Yale grad school, too.
JAMES MILLER, YALE MFA OPEN STUDIOS. APRIL 27-28, 2013
PHOTOS: NANCY SMITH