Miller, David

David Miller was born in London in 1942, he studied sculpture at the London School of Art, then graphic design in Brighton. After graduating, he turned to ceramics. From 1970 to 1989, he taught ceramics in England, Brazil, Canada and the USA. It’s a delight to lose oneself in the intricate web of his graphic games – these black tracings that stand out against the torrential invasion of bright colours, like so many symbols of creative vitality and communicative joy. It’s hard not to think of Pollock or New York graffiti artists when taking a closer look at his decors. Around 1980 David moved in France. Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste devoted three exhibitions, in 2002, 2007 and 2016. Miller passed away in January 2008. (text source Galerie de l’Ancienne Poste). David Miller was a man who crossed borders. And not just in the geographical sense, as he had done with his move from England to France. As talented as he was in sculpture, painting and ceramics, rigid art categories or classification into “modern” or “traditional” boxes were no contradiction for him, no hierarchies or incompatibilities. He was equally at home in genres and techniques, which he exercised with sovereignty and which he was able to link together quite seamlessly. It was in a variety of fields that he found his own unique path. After his first pieces, low-temperature salt-fired vessels with lightly engraved decorations, around 1980 in France he began working in raku, containers and non-containers decorated with a brush, using a very particular gesture. He then moved on to wood-fired pieces. At the same time, he began a fine production of glazed earthenware, covered in loose paint, with a luminous, colorful decor, as artistic as it is traditional, as absolute as it is functional. His work has always been defined by an inimitable, distinctive aesthetic, and his exhibitions were inevitably highlights in the gallery world (text source Galerie Heller, Heidelberg, Germany)