Having spent three months in the Arctic Circle this spring, at an artist residency program in Kemijärvi, Finland, Miller arrived to the residency to see a blanket of snow both covering and accentuating the landscape. By the end of her residency, all of places that she would see on her walks to and from the studio had shifted— an ice skating rink became a lush, grassy soccer field and the drifts and mounds of snow had melted to reveal objects and elements of the landscape that weren’t known to her. The light changed too. It is through seeing and feeling these slight, continuous changes that brings the artist closer to time and transformation.
Materials and their properties intrigue Miller, and it’s visible in her distinct approach to art making. Through meticulous stitching and sewing minute glass beads onto the surface of cotton organdy and silk fabrics, the artist creates dynamic compositions that are both heavy and light. Translucent organdy fabric, silk thread stitching, and small glass beads depict paired down landscapes and abstract compositions that employ light as a material in the work.
Kristen Miller lives and works in Portland, OR.
Kristen Miller: Brighten and Fade
Exhibition Dates: September 4 – September 28, 2019
Open: First Thursday: September 5, 2019, 6:00 – 8:00 pm
PDX CONTEMPORARY ART
925 NW Flanders Street
Portland OR 97209
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