Renée Marsha Miller

Renee Miller | I Am Reborn

Can you share the story behind the “I Am” series? How did it begin?

After a bipolar depression triggered a five year hiatus from painting, I felt its loss in my life keenly. This Spring, while recovering from another depression, I finally went upstairs and brought down my paints and brushes and started painting again. I cannot fully express how powerful it was for me to be painting again! Dipping the brush in the paint and applying it to a blank canvas gave me a rush of creative energy and feelings of self-empowerment that I hadn’t felt in years. I discovered a source of infinite joy and wonder in the beauty I found in abstract painting.

Your paintings are vibrant and full of energy—what feelings or ideas do you hope to evoke in viewers?

I want viewers to feel the sense of joy, creative energy and self-empowerment that fills me when I paint.

Renee Miller | I Am Invincible

How has your experience with bipolar disorder influenced your creative process and artistic voice?

I think having experienced the bleak, colorless landscape of a depressed mind gives me a greater appreciation for the possibilities of joy and empowerment to be found in creative expression.

What role does color play in your work? Do specific colors represent particular emotions or states of mind?

My current I Am series uses bright pink, vibrant turquoise and metallic gold. The colors are fun and happy, which reflect the feelings I have when I paint.

Renee Miller | I Am Fascinating

What inspires your use of gold spirals and organic shapes across the series?

The gold spirals and organic shapes are inspired by the Native American petroglyphs which commonly use spirals to represent life, growth and the cyclical nature of existence.

Do you approach each painting with a clear plan, or is it more intuitive and spontaneous?

I always start with a general plan of what I want for the painting. This helps me dive in and avoid that paralyzing feeling at the approach to a blank canvas. As I am painting, however, intuitive leaps often take over and I give myself over to the painting that wants to take shape.

Renee Miller | I Am Dazzling

What does painting bring to your life today that other forms of expression do not?

 Painting expresses emotion in a way that words fail to capture.