Steve Miller

"I have been a woodturner since 1998, specializing in highly carved, textured, and colored wood vessels. When first observed, my pieces often appear to be ceramic or glass. I prefer organic textures that are at least loosely based on those found in nature. The end result is, hopefully, a form or vessel that has the warmth and tactile qualities of wood, with the visual punch of a painting. "

Steve Miller is inspired by the natural world around him, both on land and under the sea. Pushing the boundaries of what wood can appear to be, he usually ignores the time-honored properties and expected appearances of wood entirely, focusing on creating a form that appears to have been made from ceramic, glass, or stone. Miller treats each of his turned pieces as a blank, three-dimensional canvas.

The majority of Miller's pieces are hollow vessels, turned from plain wood with little or no figure. The process begins with sketches on paper or on the vessel, followed by carving with electric and pneumatic tools and pyrography for unique textures, culminating with multiple layers of carefully applied acrylic paints, dyes, or stains to bring the contours and textures to life.

Miller has trained with some of the best wood artists in the world today. His biggest influence is his former Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts instructor, Jacques Vesery, who taught Miller many new techniques in 2016, followed by John Paul Fennell in 2019. Their artistic vision and direction are the driving forces in his ever-evolving creative process.