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Di Miller

by di Miller
(Johannesburg, South Africa)

Artist’s Statement

My work is deeply influenced by the fact that I am of Africa and my concerns are primarily connected with the environment and things African: the bright red soil, the sometimes harsh and unrelenting sun, the varied cultures and mores, the strongly scented indigenous bush and trees, the natural animal inhabitants, the sometimes-harsh rawness of our environment both rural and urban and the continued destruction of our environment in all its forms but also societal issues, stemming from these.
While I do use more traditional media such as oil or acrylic paints, canvas and clay, I try wherever possible to use recycled or repurposed materials such as our red soil, found wood, found flying ant wings, recycled hand-made paper, recycled beads or even discarded cement from building sites, all with their inherent meanings. I enjoy the tactility and layering of materials and meanings and regard everything as a medium for art.
The issues I try to address may at first glance appear parochial or insular but we do not live in isolation and are interconnected in almost every way and the issues have relevance not only to our immediate environs but beyond our borders, both on a human, environmental and global level and I would hope that the work has divergent meanings.