STEVEN RALPH MILLER

STATEMENT

I arrange inert materials to express vitality and evoke feeling from the viewer. I want to present sculptural ideas with just that degree of abstraction that lets the viewer be simultaneously aware of the inert nature of the sculpture’s material body and the vital feeling of its soul. I use the properties of clay, wax, plaster, bronze and patina to help the viewer share in the mysteries of substance and process embodied in the finished works.

SUBJECT

My primary choice is the human figure usually presented in an introspective mood. My portfolio includes a number of biblical figures. The interaction of the human with the spiritual – often portrayed as physically or mentally traumatic - provides the potential for a distinctly forceful figure.  

Animals are a second subject of interest, often presented in pairs. I also execute portrait busts and reliefs. Reliefs are two dimensional works that can be hung flat on the wall.

MEDIUM, PATINA AND SCALE

Each sculpture is initially cast in gypsum. These casts are exhibited to the public, usually in juried shows.  On request, pieces will be cast in bronze or polymeric compounds. Popular works are cast in numbered editions.

I use a patina of ferric nitrate brown sometimes shadowed with sulfide. The richness of the color heightens the feeling of the pieces, allowing each to express the subject most effectively. Selected gypsum pieces are kept white. Some are brightly colored as it suits the piece.

All pieces of sculpture have dimensions in the range of 10 to 25 centimeters (4 to 10 inches), with occasional standing figures as tall as 52 cm (20 inches). I feel such a size is appropriate for an object that can be placed in a home -- on a 30-to-36 inch pedestal, a shelf or side table -- and studied and enjoyed at an intimate distance.