Ben Miller’s White Chuck River, WA – acrylic on polycarbonate 36” x 48”
Proceeds from Artist-in-Residence Installation to Benefit Pelican Harbor Seabird Station
Gary Snyder Fine Art Montana (GSFAMT) is set to present twelve captivating paintings by Bozeman-based artist Ben Miller at Art Miami, from December 3 to 8, Booth AM128. Among these pieces, a striking work created on-site—a massive painting made on a 1,000-pound block of plexiglass—will be unveiled in the Art Miami Café, which will adopt the name “The Little River Café” for the duration of the fair.
In collaboration with Art Miami, Mana Public Arts, and Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, Miller will engage in a three-day artist residency leading up to the event. Over this period, he will cast with a fly rod more than 6,000 times to create a stunning 4-by-8-foot piece that reflects his studies of the nearby Little River, a natural resource steeped in history but threatened by environmental stressors and development pressures. Proceeds from the sale of this unique work will go directly to support Pelican Harbor Seabird Station, Miami’s premier native wildlife hospital and education center.
Miller has garnered an international reputation over the past five years for his distinctive paintings of rivers, all crafted using a fly rod. His series, titled “Endangered Rivers,” features intricate layers of color and transparency achieved through thousands of casting strokes. With each brushstroke, Miller aims to capture the essence of a river while raising awareness about the critical need for river preservation.
His dedication to river conservation has resulted in collaborations with organizations such as the Gallatin River Task Force, Friends of the Chicago River, Hackensack River Keepers, and Save Wild Trout, among others. The works displayed at the GSFAMT booth will showcase a range of these conservation-themed paintings, including recent pieces inspired by rivers in Montana and Washington state.
Gary Snyder Fine Art continues a legacy of fine art that spans over forty years. Previously based in New York, Snyder’s galleries in SoHo, 57th Street, and Chelsea showcased modern American art from the 1930s through the 1960s. Since relocating to Bozeman six years ago, Snyder discovered Miller painting along the banks of the renowned Gallatin River. This unique artistic process has led to a recent film collaboration entitled The Rhythms of the River, a documentary short directed by Manabu Inada, which highlights Miller’s work and can be viewed online. This film has even captured the interest of Japanese fashion brand South2 West8, which launched a clothing line inspired by Miller’s artistry.
Ben paints with a fly fishing rod, it’s truly unique and incredible to witness. A video of him working can be seen here.
For more information, including endangered river projects, writings and video, visit www.oxbowgallery.art, or email blythe@biggerfishpr.com, or call 406-600-9431