The Paintings Of Stan Miller
Stan Miller has been a professional painter in watercolor and egg tempera for more than thirty years. The artist has exhibited his paintings in numerous exhibitions, galleries and museums. A signature member of the American Watercolor Society as well as an AWS award winner, Stan Miller also teaches workshops and classes in Spokane, the United States and around the world.
More About Artist Stan Miller
I was born on a small farm in Southeastern South Dakota in 1949. We lived about 50 miles from Sioux Falls. I was one of seven children, three brothers and three sisters. When I was seven, we moved to Sioux Falls where my dad got a job as a mechanic for Caterpillar.
When I was fifteen our family moved to Spokane, Washington, where I finished my high school education and graduated in 1967. I went on to college and graduated from Spokane Falls Community College in 1973, with an Applied Arts Degree and a Commercial Art Degree. Other than two years in Pennsylvania, I have continued to live in Spokane since my graduation from college.
I remember, when I must have been quite young, watching my older brother Greg draw. He was good. In the third grade our teacher taught us perspective, how to make a road go back and disappear into the mountains. I never forgot how to do that.
When I was seven or eight years old, our family took a trip to Wisconsin to visit a friend of my Dads. He was a professional watercolorist. I remember the drive through the woods, walking up to his front door, through the entry, looking up at the walls as soon as I entered the house. I wanted to see his paintings. Randy Penner.
I’ll never forget that name or that trip and the influence it had on me.
In Junior High I took some art, mechanical drawing and enjoyed it. I wrote a career paper on becoming an artist but never really thought that it was possible. In college I decided to major in physical education since I considered an art major unrealistic.
The second year I switched to a commercial art major since the community college had a good graphics program. It was during the three years of training to become a commercial artist that I took watercolor.
My first watercolor class I got a “C”. The worst grade I had ever received in any art class. I was required to take it again the following year and it went much better. Not only did I get an “A”, but I fell in love with it.
I started selling my paintings before I graduated for as little as $2. In the fall of 1973 I had made a decision to try to make a living as a full time, professional watercolorist and have managed to do that now for more than thirty years.
AWARDS
- 2015 Invited to the World Watercolour Exhibition-Hanoi, Vietnam
- 2014 Accepted into the World Watercolour Competition & Exhibition-Narbonne, France
(one of seven award winners in this international competition)
- 2014 Invited to the World Watermedia Exposition and Exhibition, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2013 Accepted into the American Watercolor Society Exhibition, NY, NY
- 2011 Best in Show – Portland, Oregon – Art in the Pearl
- 2011 Third Place, Landscape – The Artist’s Magazine National Competition
- 2010 Accepted into the American Watercolor Society Exhibition, NY, NY
- 2009 The Artist’s Magazine National Competition, Third Place for portrait, “Nick’s Gaze”
- 2008 Carol Duke Artist Award of Excellence-Bellevue Arts Museum Art Fair-Bellevue, Washington
- 2008 Best of Show-Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Artfest Spokane, Washington
- 2007 Best of Show-Salem Art Festival-Salem, Oregon
- 2006 Grand Prize in the Watercolor Magic Magazine National Competition, August Issue
- 2004 First Place award in The Artist’s Magazine 21st Annual National Art Competition
- 2004 Acceptance into American Watercolor Society Membership
- 2002 American Watercolor Society, Desser Memorial Award, New York, New York
- 1997 Sausalito Arts Festival, San Francisco, California
- 1986 Museum of Native American Cultures Western Art Show, Best of Show, Spokane, Washington.
- 1985 National Western Art Show, Best of Show, Ellensburg, Washington
EDUCATION
Associate in Applied Science, Professional Diploma in Art
Spokane Falls Community College 1973
ONE PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2000 Spokane Art School, Spokane, Washington
1995 Corbin Art Center, Spokane, Washington
1992 Hesston College, Hesston, Kansas
1980 Charles and Emma Frye Museum, Seattle, Washington
1979 Charles M. Russell Memorial Museum, Great Falls, Montana
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
- 2015 World Watermedia Exposition and Exhibition, Hanoi, Vietnam
- 2015 “The Artist’s Palette” Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture, Spokane, Washington
- 2014 World Watermedia Exposition and Exhibition, Bangkok, Thailand
- 2014 American Watercolor Society, New York, New York
- 2011 American Watercolor Society, New Yord, New York
- 2004 American Watercolor Society, New York, New York
- 2002 Hilton Head Art League, Hilton Head, South Carolina
- 1998 Paintings of the American Landscape, Howard Manville Galleries, Kirkland, Washington
- 1995 Spokane Sampler, Cheney Cowles Memorial State Museum, Spokane, Washington
- 1993 Rocky Mountain National Water Media Show, Denver, Colorado
- 1991 Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio
- 1985 Society of Illustrators, New York, New York
- 1976 American Watercolor Society, New York, New York
BOOKS
2010 Best of America Watermedia Artists (Volume II)
1985 Illustrators 28
1984 Contemporary Western Artists’ of America
PERIODICALS
- 2014 The Watercolor Artist Magazine / June
- 2013 The Art of Watercolour / September / French Art Magazine
- 2013 Spring Issue / Artists on Art Magazine (online)
- 2010 Practique Des Arts / L’Art De L’Aquarelle (French Art Magazine)
- 2008 December, The Artist’s Magazine2013 Sprng Issue / Artists on Art Magazine (online)
- Artist’s Magazine National Competition 2008
- 2005 The Artist’s Magazine, December
- 2005 American Artist, September
- 1985 Atlantic Monthly, Boston, Massachusetts
TRAVEL STUDIES
- 2014 Invited to the World Watermedia Exposition / Plein Air Painting Event
- 2012 Puerto Vallarta, Mexico (Malsa Fine Arts)
- 2011 Gabriola Island, Canada / Plein Air / Canadian Federation of Artists
- 2007 Tuscanny, Italy (plein air painting for one week)
- 2006 Plein Air Painters of America Workshop in France and Italy
- 2005 Trinidad-Tabago
- 2004 Alaska, ten days on location
- 2000 Venice, Italy two weeks painting
- 1990 Central Europe and Ireland two months painting and visiting museums
- 1984 Greek Islands two months painting
- 1982 Central Europe one month painting and visiting museums
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2006 Plein Air Painters of America in France
2005 Workshop in Port of Spain, Trinidad
1976 to present- Workshops around the U.S.
( examples: Scottsdale Artist’s School, San Antonio Watercolor Group,
Coupeville Art Center, Seattle, Homer, Alaska Watercolor Group)
1985 to present- Spokane Art School part-time instructor.
1976 to present- Community Colleges of Spokane watercolor instructor, part-time.
JURY EXPERIENCE
2011 Juror for Georgia Watercolor Society Exhibition
2011 Reqested to be juror for the National Watercolor Society Exhibition
2012 Juror for Northwest Watercolor Society Exhibition / Seattle, WA
2013 Juror for the Watercolor Society of Alabama Exhibition
2013 Juror for International Watercolor Society Exhibition
Stan Miller Painting
Stan Miller Painting
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Stan Miller Painting
Stan Miller Painting
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Stan Miller Painting
Stan Miller Painting
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Stan Miller Painting
Stan Miller Painting
Stan Miller Painting
Stan Miller Painting
