Theo Miller is a visual artist and printmaker, born in Leicester in 1991. He gained a first class degree in Fine Art from De Montfort University in 2014. Miller is currently living and working in Leicester. He has recently completed a residency at Leicester Print Workshop, where he has also just been appointed as one of its Studio Workers. He is also employed part-time as Printmaking Technical Instructor at De Montfort University.
Find out more about Theo’s practice on his website and follow him on Instagram.
Describe your practice for us
Printmaking for me is an axis. It inspires me and directs my practice. For me the beauty of printmaking is that the final image is always affected by, and integral to the process itself. Each stage, material and process for me can be more significant than the final image.
Throughout my residency at Leicester Print Workshop I have explored ink-making with alternative pigments, as well as playing with archival and non-archival materials and have made an instructional artwork ‘An Artist’s Guide to Creating New Work’ which I hope will encourage artists to create new work by destroying and using old work. I want to make it clear that my notion of artists destroying their work is not anti-art, but hopefully a manifesto that will give artists with a stagnating practice a way forward.
How long have you been practising?
I find that a difficult question to answer, I graduated in Fine Art from De Montfort University, Leicester in 2014. I think I confirmed my practice that year, and have been trying to learn, develop and follow my ideas from then on.
What is the most interesting or inspiring thing you have seen or been to over the last month, and why?
Recently I have been fully immersed in the art of Printmaking. I work at Leicester Print Workshop and De Montfort University within the Printmaking Workshop and I am constantly seeing artists and designers at all stages of their creative lives learn, develop and practice processes of printmaking. It’s hard not to be inspired by that. In terms of exhibitions, Night In The Museum: Ryan Gander Curates The Arts Council Collection at Longside Gallery was wonderful. I can’t wait to see it again in at the Attenborough Arts Centre when it tours this year.
Which other artists’s work do you admire, and why?
I always keep an eye on artists who have been in residence at Frans Masereel Centrum, Belgium, It’s archive of previous artists in residences is incredible. Also, whilst studying I was lucky enough to be able to research and work closely with an expansive collection of Fluxus and Concrete Poetry works. It is something that at the time I didn’t think was significant but it definitely informed and shaped my practice from that point onwards.
Where can people see your work?
My work’s currently on display in an exhibition of Leicester Print Workshop’s Our Big Move Residencies (8 February – 29 April 2017), during which I’ll be giving a talk about my work and a demonstration and will be included an exhibition of work made during a project with Leicester Print Workshop and Leicester Universities Museum and Gallery studies course, which opens in June at The Gallery, DMU.
People can also follow my work on Instagram.
Theo was interviewed in February 2017.
Images:
All images are courtesy of and were taken by the artist.