During Black History Month, we are taking the opportunity to celebrate some of the many incredible Black woman artists that we know and love. Our next artist is the wonderful Kellie Miller!
Kellie Miller is a British visual artist, specializing in painting and ceramics. Deciding at the age of fifteen that she wanted to pursue a creative career, Kellie attended Camberwell School of Art for undergraduate school, then got a BA from Brighton University and an MA in Arts Criticism from City University.
Kellie began her artistic career with ceramics. Inspired by the beauty of nature, Kellie’s ceramic pieces have rich mixes of colors and textures, evoking the aesthetics of landscapes, lagoons, and bamboo trees.
After several years of ceramics, Kellie moved into painting, where her pieces continued to celebrate the colors and textures of nature. Her paintings are full of small details, intricate brushwork, and arrays of colors which perfectly capture oceans, rivers, flowers and forests at their most beautiful. Kellie’s paintings imbue the viewer with a sense of wonder for the natural world, one which she evidently holds herself.
In an interview with Kellie, FF2 Contributor Jessica Bond asked her to describe her work. Kellie said, “I’m currently at a crossroads with my artistic work. However, it has always been based on nature, whether abstract or more representational. Regardless, it has a spiritual message, which some people pick up on. And I feel like people can connect with the work when going through a life change or some form of transition.”
In 2013, Kellie opened her own gallery, where she showcases art in a variety of mediums, from artists all over the world. Following the Black Lives Matter movement, which Kellie described in her interview as “an awakening”, she has begun to view her role as a curator with a sense of social justice.
She states: “I’ve done a lot more thinking on how I have done things to fit in. Although I have been my own boss throughout my whole life, there is still this element of working with others that look different compared to myself. So last year, I started to speak out more, which made me quite vulnerable. Within my gallery operations, I only have three Black clients, which has led me to encourage Black people to engage more with arts and even become collectors.”
As Kellie evolves in both her artwork and her view of her role in the art world, her voice has only become more powerful. Her paintings are filled with energy, and a sense of optimism and hope for the world she lives in. As she puts it, “I’m quite keen to get disadvantaged people involved in the arts that don’t get that opportunity. Because in some worlds it is seen as a privilege, and I don’t think the arts and creativity is a privilege. I think it’s a right.”
© Julia Lasker (2/10/2023) FF2 Media
LEARN MORE/DO MORE
Read Kellie Miller’s interview with Jessica Bond here.
Explore Kellie’s artwork and learn more about her here.
Check out Kellie’s art gallery here.
CREDITS & PERMISSIONS
Featured photo, middle photo and bottom photo: Courtesy of Kellie Miller
