Surfboard Fence

The poet Mary Oliver’s advice on instructions for living a life: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.”   This is what Laurie Miller believes she was called to do as an artist, to look for the magic in a sunset, a wave  crashing, a surfer ready to find the perfect set; to fully experience and be wowed, and then to  tell those stories through her artwork.    The “why” in her paintings is to reconnect people to their dreams and cherished memories. Adept with  oils and pastels she uses them to awaken the senses, and evoke the sentiments of how people want to feel or  how they felt about being in a particular place, such as the beautiful island of Maui. What are  the colors and textures they envision, what gives them that sense of awe and wonder? Her focus is on  the simplicity of her surroundings to artistically express the essence of the moment. 

Inspired by so many things including the expressions on a strangers face, the reflections on the water in Venice Italy, the shadows and the glows dancing through ancient cities, the magical singing shades of New Orleans, the long, open winding roads in Kaupo Maui - and the love of life - Melissa continues to follow her soul with Line and Color. She's experienced life moving around and growing while watching the world outside and feeling the world inside of her. Because of this, she considers all of her paintings to be Self Portraits as she has spent a lot of time reflecting & her art is intensely impacted by this introspection.