Archway Gallery
Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
Upcoming Exhibition Calendar
August 7 - September 2, 2021
Respite
Featuring New Paintings by Margaret Miller
Saturday, August 7 / 10am - 6pm |
All-Day Opening and Meet the Artist |
Saturday, August 14 / 5 - 8pm |
Evening Reception |
This exhibition of oil paintings by Margaret Miller represents her artistic journey through the COVID-19 pandemic. In March of 2020, Miller knew she had an exhibition coming up in August of 2021. “Under normal circumstances, I would have picked a theme to guide my efforts in preparing for a show,” Miller recounts. Anticipating a period of isolation, she decided to use the time to explore her own selfexpression and paint what came to mind. Tense and nervous about the state of the world, Miller started with four small paintings to calm her nerves. “I decided to paint as I did when I was in high school -- a house and a tree would do, only Texas-style, because that is where I have lived most of my adult life.” When What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong, came on the radio, Miller felt she should paint a house with a rainbow. From there she moved on to local places in Houston such as the Heights, Midtown, and Memorial Park areas, and she ventured out to Brazos Bend State Park.
Then came the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement. “It seemed to me that the world was shattering, breaking apart and reforming before my eyes -- hopefully, reforming in a better, fairer, and more equitable way,” says Miller. As a response to this, she began to experiment with a technique of breaking her paintings apart without trying to resolve how their world would be reformed. The result is a series she calls “Broken Landscapes.” Miller found this experiment satisfying and continued using the technique in many more paintings.
Miller got a great sense of relief from painting during the pandemic. “It’s strange,” she muses, “but in many ways the pandemic provided a respite, a time to self-reflect and stretch as an artist.” This exhibition contains Miller’s response to the turbulent times of 2020-21, with feelings of loneliness, thoughtfulness, whimsy, and hopefulness. Some of the paintings are moody while others are rich with the sheer appreciation of being alive.
Margaret Miller traces her fondness for art back to spending three childhood summers visiting an aunt in Washington, DC. During those trips, Miller, her sister, and her aunt often visited museums together. Miller would sometimes select the National Gallery of Art. This, she says, was the start of her appreciation of art. Her interest in art was further nurtured by her parents, Marian and Rick Hanner, who encouraged her with private art lessons throughout her childhood and teenage years. “My parents always displayed my art around their home and made sure I went to art shows and museums,” Miller says.
After a 30-year career as a print and web designer at a major energy company, Miller can now devote her energies to painting. Her paintings start from sketches or photographs taken on her walks when the light is right. Light and mood are just as important to her as subject matter. “After I get the basics down, I try to capture what’s in my head,” Miller says as she describes her process. She continues by asking herself, “How do I feel about the painting? What do I want to share with the viewer? As soon as I feel that I’ve captured those feelings, I move on to the next painting.”
Then came the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement. “It seemed to me that the world was shattering, breaking apart and reforming before my eyes -- hopefully, reforming in a better, fairer, and more equitable way,” says Miller. As a response to this, she began to experiment with a technique of breaking her paintings apart without trying to resolve how their world would be reformed. The result is a series she calls “Broken Landscapes.” Miller found this experiment satisfying and continued using the technique in many more paintings.
Miller got a great sense of relief from painting during the pandemic. “It’s strange,” she muses, “but in many ways the pandemic provided a respite, a time to self-reflect and stretch as an artist.” This exhibition contains Miller’s response to the turbulent times of 2020-21, with feelings of loneliness, thoughtfulness, whimsy, and hopefulness. Some of the paintings are moody while others are rich with the sheer appreciation of being alive.
Margaret Miller traces her fondness for art back to spending three childhood summers visiting an aunt in Washington, DC. During those trips, Miller, her sister, and her aunt often visited museums together. Miller would sometimes select the National Gallery of Art. This, she says, was the start of her appreciation of art. Her interest in art was further nurtured by her parents, Marian and Rick Hanner, who encouraged her with private art lessons throughout her childhood and teenage years. “My parents always displayed my art around their home and made sure I went to art shows and museums,” Miller says.
After a 30-year career as a print and web designer at a major energy company, Miller can now devote her energies to painting. Her paintings start from sketches or photographs taken on her walks when the light is right. Light and mood are just as important to her as subject matter. “After I get the basics down, I try to capture what’s in my head,” Miller says as she describes her process. She continues by asking herself, “How do I feel about the painting? What do I want to share with the viewer? As soon as I feel that I’ve captured those feelings, I move on to the next painting.”
August Calendar
August 29 @ 6pm |
September 4 - 30, 2021
TBA
Featuring New Paintings by Cookie Wells and Furniture by Tom Wells
Saturday, Sept 11 |
Meet the Artists starting at 2pm, followed by Evening Reception 5 - 8pm |
October 2 - November 4, 2021
Solipsism
Featuring Recent Paintings by John Slaby
Saturday, Oct 2 |
Meet the Artist starting at 2pm, followed by Evening Reception 5 - 8pm |
Saturday, Oct 30 |
Closing Reception and End of Silent Auction 5 - 8pm |