Patchwork in Red

Peter Miller

oil on canvas, 42 x 54 inches

Framed in Natural Wood

American artist Peter Miller (1913-1996) was born Henrietta Myers in Hanover, Pennsylvania. She began using the name Peter Miller after concluding her studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in 1934 and her marriage to fellow artist and Academy student Earle Miller in 1935. She felt collectors and critics would take her paintings more seriously if she was identified as a male. In childhood, Henrietta and her best friend Ruth picked fictitious nicknames for themselves, and Henrietta reportedly decided upon the name Peter because she liked the idea that it was derived from the Greek word for “rock” or “stone”. Drawn to being one with the natural world would prove to be an essential inspiration to her creativity throughout her life. Miller is classified as an American Modernist, a reputation she earned for having shown at the prestigious gallery and premiere showcase for Surrealist painting of Julien Levy in New York in the 1940s. Reviewers of her exhibitions noted the unmistakable influence of the artists Joan Miró, whose work she owned and whom she knew, and Arthur Carles, whom she studied with, and sources in Native American culture, which came from sharing time between her home state of Pennsylvania and New Mexico. Peter and her husband Earle considered New Mexico their spiritual home, and in 1935 they built a ranch in Española, about 25 miles north of Santa Fe. Being neighbors of the indigenous people of the Tewa Pueblo, their crafts and religious beliefs fascinated Peter and the reliance of Native Americans upon the land and the animals permeated her work for most of her career.

Additional work by this artist

Dreamer

Dreamer

Peter Miller
Stars

Stars

Peter Miller
Flowers

Flowers

Peter Miller
Battle Scene

Battle Scene

Peter Miller

Other works in Modern

Conversation

Conversation

Bernard Harmon
Boy Waiting

Boy Waiting

Bernard Harmon
Morris Blackman Geometric Abstract IV Oil on Board 30 5x48 Lower Center 82 83 LR

Geometric Abstract IV

Morris Blackman
Indian Chief

Indian Chief

Peter Miller

Other works in Modernism

Deer Dance

Deer Dance

Peter Miller
Night Ceremony

Night Ceremony

Peter Miller
Spanish Magic

Spanish Magic

Peter Miller

Other works in Sold

Clouds of Evening

Clouds of Evening

George William Sotter
Scarlett in Gold

Scarlett in Gold

Charles Curran
Spring Day

Spring Day

Louis Aston Knight

Other works in Sold Peter Miller

The Altar

The Altar

Peter Miller
Family Roots

Family Roots

Peter Miller

Other works in Peter Miller Collection

Orange Abstract

Orange Abstract

Peter Miller
Harpie

Harpie

Peter Miller
Soaring

Soaring

Peter Miller