Spring

Neil Miller was born in England, moving as a child to New Zealand with his family. He studied art at school and went on to complete a Bachelor of Fine Arts at Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. Miller defines himself as a painter who works in metals. Much of his sculpture emulates the forms of nature, for example the twirling vine, leaf, shell, seed, twig and shoot. Miller avoids excess and simplifies objects down to the basics. Another important element in his work has been the concept of duality. Positive forms have been matched with negative ones; curves with straight lines; weight with lightness; and movement with stasis. Until 1993 Miller worked with steel rods and plates cut with a torch and welded. In 1993 he re-evaluated his aims and began planning his works. They became smaller, mostly two-dimensional, refined, geometric and wall-mounted. Dualities were still explored in the meeting of wedges of different materials such as gold and silver. Rivets and screws were substituted for welding, and finely scribed lines. The artist sees these pieces as distillations from, and therefore consistent with, previous work. Miller has been involved in solo and group shows over the years and has work in many public and private collections. He is currently working from his studio on the Corbans wine estate in Auckland.