HK Miller’s latest paintings are an intentional departure from his wide, horizontally formatted paintings of rural landscapes. Now the sky becomes a dominant feature, affecting our spatial perception by placing buildings, pastures, hillsides and trees under a big sky on a vertical format. It causes one to consider the beautiful skies above the horizon and look "another way" at places we might otherwise pass by. It's AWESOME. Really. To learn more, read on.
HK has been a main stay of the gallery for over a decade. One of my favorites hangs over our piano at home (yes, we still have one of those!). I acquired his rendering of a Brush Valley field breaking its winter freeze because it reminds me of the feeling I get walking with eyes wide and expectant for what is coming, what may come, this time of year when Winter starts releasing its grip.
But what happens when we look up as HK has done? We might encounter AWE, which can make us happier. Greater Good Magazine's "Science of Happiness" podcast recognizes a neural connection. "Research from neuroscientist Fred Previc shows that when we look above the horizon, it activates areas of our brains that are usually engaged during meditation, dreaming, religious experiences and creative activities."
Will a painting bring the same sort of awe? I don't know. But I'm sure you can find some. What will awe-strike you in HK Miller's latest collection "Vertical Landscapes?"
The sky, a canvas, wide and deep?
Where clouds like ships begin to creep?
A tapestry of blue and gray?
Above the hills, where shadows play?
A witness to the seasons' dance?
A silent, ever-present trance?
From sunrise hues to twilight's grace?
The Pennsylvania sky, a sacred space?
Miller is an accomplished artist living in Indiana, PA. His previous show at The Artists Hand in 2023 exhibited paintings of abandoned school buildings around the region. His work hangs in private and corporate collections, and has been shown in galleries throughout the mid-Atlantic region. Many of them capture the style of Andrew Wyeth’s interpretation of rural landscapes. Miller is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania where he studied art and became an art educator.