John Miller was a contemporary artist who lived most of his adult life in Cornwall.
John Miller was born in London in 1931. After a visit to West Cornwall in the mid-fifties he returned to live there in 1958 with partner Michael Truscott.
Following National Service, John Miller studied architecture and was articled to church architects in 1961. He soon moved on to painting.
Visiting the Isles of Scilly led to his beach paintings, and after living at Sancreed for many years he painted from a house on the beach at Lelant where some of his most evocative paintings were done. Travels in Goa and Greece also influenced his paintings, plus his deep spiritual and religious beliefs give colour and intensity of his images.The blue and white images of beaches, sky and sea have become a trademark of both his artistic style and personality. Rock star Chris Rea required an image for ‘King of the Beach’, and chose a painting by John Miller for the CD cover.His paintings have decorated the walls of TV’s ‘Eastenders’, and the set of John Boorman’s film ‘The Tailor of Panama’.
He became a member of the Newlyn Society of Artists in 1961. In 1964, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.
In 1989, he published an autobiography, “Leave Tomorrow Behind”.
After a short illness John Miller died on Tuesday 23rd July 2002, at his home in Penzance. The memorial exhibition included a selection of paintings inspired by John's last trip to Goa alongside works in both oil and gouache of his beloved Cornwall.
John Miller Paintings is a web site devoted to the work of John Miller
John Miller, another shade of blue
John Miller, seeing is believing
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