Take the road less traveled with Houston artist Margaret Miller and scope out her new paintings of vignettes from around H-Town and Texas during isolation with Respite at Archway Gallery in Montrose, from Saturday, August 7 to Thursday, September 2, 2021.
Respite represents Miller’s artistic journey through the COVID-19 pandemic. In March of 2020, Miller knew she had an exhibition coming up in August of 2021.
“Under normal circumstances, I would have picked a theme to guide my efforts in preparing for a show,” Miller said. Anticipating a period of isolation, she decided to use the time to explore her own self-expression and paint what came to mind. Tense and nervous about the state of the world, Miller started with four small paintings to calm her nerves.
“I decided to paint as I did when I was in high school—a house and a tree would do, only Texas-style, because that is where I have lived most of my adult life.” When What a Wonderful World, by Louis Armstrong, came on the radio, Miller felt she should paint a house with a rainbow. From there she moved on to local places in Houston such as the Heights, Midtown, and Memorial Park areas, and she ventured out to Brazos Bend State Park.
Then came the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter Movement. “It seemed to me that the world was shattering, breaking apart and reforming before my eyes—hopefully, reforming in a better, fairer, and more equitable way,” said Miller.
As a response to this, she began to experiment with a technique of breaking her paintings apart without trying to resolve how their world would be reformed. The result is a series she calls “Broken Landscapes.” Miller found this experiment satisfying and continued using the technique in many more paintings.
Virtual Opening & Artist Talk
There will also be a Virtual Opening and an Artist Talk from Miller on the first day of the show, Saturday, August 7, 2021. The opening will be posted to Archway Gallery’s website, Facebook page, and YouTube channel at 6pm.
Evening Reception
There will also be a free evening reception at the gallery on Saturday, August 14, 2021 from 5pm to 8pm.
Margaret Miller’s Respite Exhibition at Archway Gallery
- Dates: Saturday, August 7 to Thursday, September 2, 2021
- Times: Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 6pm; Sunday 1pm to 5pm
- Appointment Viewings: Private viewings are also available by appointment for 10 people or less. Email [email protected] for details.
- Location: Archway Gallery, 2305 Dunlavy Street, Houston, TX 77006
- Admission: Free. Learn more. If you visit Archway Gallery’s website before the exhibition opens, be sure to click on “Exhibitions” in the top menu bar, then on “Upcoming Exhibitions”, to find details on this exhibit.
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