Howell artist Curtis Hans Miller is featured in the current issue of LensWork magazine, a prestigious print/digital publication that beautifully showcases photographers and their work.
The photos in the print version of the publication are monochrome on high-quality paper; the photos featured in the extended digital version are full-color.
Miller’s work in the current issue of LensWork — photos from his “Pictured Rocks” series — can also be seen by clicking here.
The images — haunting, stark and emotional — were shot at Michigan’s Pictured Rocks in the summer and fall of 2010, a trying time for Miller. He explains:
“These images were taken against the background of powerful emotional events in my personal life, which affected me deeply. During this year, I was struggling to help my father care for my mother as she declined with Alzheimer’s disease.
“I think the traces of those events are everywhere in these photographs. I am thankful that my subconscious was at work while I photographed, working in its own way to make sense of what was happening around me.”
Miller’s work is sold at galleries throughout the region, including the LaFontsee Gallery in Grand Rapids and the River Gallery in Chelsea. He’s also been involved with the Brighton Art Guild and a number of its exhibitions.
Miller, who’s lived in Howell nearly two decades, graduated from Albion College with a fine arts degree after studying painting, printmaking, drawing and art history.
Miller is excited about being featured in LensWork, a publication that rivals its subjects for beauty in presentation. An interview with Miller is also included with the extended digital publication.
Miller’s “Pictured Rocks” series is mesmerizing. Miller first printed the images in their original color, but then he decided to experiment with them to better capture the feeling the mysterious, moody feelings he experienced while shooting. He de-saturated the images, leaving just a trace of the original color, and then shifted the hue to warm, to capture the tone of the sand and, Miller thinks, possibly suggest that the photos were made in the past.
The effect is wonderful, the photos wondrous; you lose yourself in them, drawn in by the texture and detail.
For a time, Miller’s photos supported his paintings by documenting landscapes. Now, his photographs are the paintings, if that makes sense. Miller describes his photography as “an end in itself.”
You can check out Miller’s photo books, including the one with his “Pictured Rocks” series at http://www.blurb.com/user/store/chmiller.
