R.A. Miller Folk Art Acrylic Painting of Creature

Item Details

“R.A.” Reuben Aaron Miller (Georgia, 1912 – 2006)
Untitled (creature), late 20th century
Acrylic painting on metal
Signed to the lower center

Reuben Aaron Miller was a self-taught folk artist who began producing art later in life. Known for his metal cut-outs, whirligigs, and paintings of figures and animals, Miller worked on a cotton mill after dropping out of school at age twelve. He retired at age sixty-five after serving as an ordained minister for the Free Will Baptist Church, then turned to art after his vision began to deteriorate as a result of glaucoma. Aside from animals and figures, other commons themes in Miller’s work include devils, angels, his trademark ‘Blow Oskar’ based on his cousin, and American icons, sometimes juxtaposed with inspirational messages such as ‘Lord Love You.’ He often worked with paint, magic marker, tin, bicycle parts, and scrap metal. Miller’s work has been featured in videos including Left of Reckoning, a twenty-minute collaboration between the rock group R.E.M. and filmmaker James Herbert, and R.E.M.‘s music video for Pretty Persuasions. In addition to a retrospective organized by the Georgia Museum of Art in 2009, his work has been exhibited by Brenau University’s Simmons Visual Arts Center, Quinlan Visual Arts Center (Gainesville, GA), and the Small Museum of Folk Art (Pittsboro, NC), among other institutions.

Condition

- scratches, abrasions, scuff marks, and paint loss; a few stains; creases to metal.

Dimensions

Item #

ITMGJ07915