BRAD MILLER | Negentropy

“The opposite of entropy is negentropy. While as a general rule, the universe tends toward entropy, life is considered negentropic. Life orders energy as it converts our food into complex ordered systems, such as the close packing of our cells and the dendritic patterns of blood vessels. Seeing spontaneous patterns forming in the physical world has always captured my attention. Over time, I realized that a handful of these physical manifestations have been internalized and transformed into content-laden symbols for thousands of years. One example is the variation of the same stylized spirals. These are seen on Mimbres pots, Celtic tombstones, Van Gogh’s ‘Starry Night,’ and the tattooed face of the Maori. With today’s technologies, we push the limits of seeing into and out to the edges of the universe and these new views continually confirm that many familiar patterns are found at all known space and time scales.

                In my artistic practice, I continually revisit and reinterpret several archetypal designs, such as spirals, packing patterns and dendritic systems. These patterns, which are found in various materials and processes, often find their way into my work, sometimes coexisting within a single piece. My intention is to infuse my work with these timeless and familiar patterns, allowing them to dance between the realms of order and chaos, a reflection of the dynamic world we inhabit.”

- Brad Miller

Inspired by dynamic fractal formations, Brad Miller reconfigures Nature’s familiar ordering systems through a dedicated process of accretion, tumbling, grinding, and glazing in the creation of his clay vessels. With distinctive biomorphic contours, Miller’s formal intrigue is amplified by his luscious polished and vitreous surfaces that, alongside his bi-fold monotypes and paintings, invoke wonder. Animated by a scientific fascination that began as a teenager, Miller connects the rigor of his process to both the intimate expressions of certain repeating symbols of humankind throughout history with the vast cosmologies made evident by emerging technologies to explore the universe. Work by Brad Miller can also be seen in a new exhibition at the Denver Art Museum titled “Biophilia: Nature Reimagined” May 5 – August 11, 2024.

Brad Miller received an MFA from the University of Oregon in 1977, and a BFA from the University of Oregon in 1974. His work is included in the permanent collections of Arizona State University Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, NYC, Craft and Folk Art Museum, California, Denver Art Museum, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Henry Art Gallery, University of Washington, Seattle, WA Kirkland Museum of Fine and Decorative Arts, Denver, The Lannon Foundation, Los Angeles, CA Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Norra Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, Utah State Univ., Logan, UT National Museum of American Art, Washington, D. C. Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C. Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art, Loretto, PA Frederick R. Weisman Art Foundation, Los Angeles, CA Zimmerli Art Museum, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ University of Iowa Museum of Art, Iowa City, IA. Miller has exhibited widely across the United States including notable solo exhibition at Carbon, Fellows of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, CA, Primordial Algorithms, Cabana Home, Santa Barbara, CA, The Golden State of Craft: California 1960s - 1980s, Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA , Convengo Internazionale Mathematica e Cultura, Campo S. Angelo, Venice, Italy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Fine and Performing Arts, Lincoln, NE, Arvada Center for the Arts & Humanities, Arvada, CO, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, CO, University of California at Irvine, CA, Craft and Folk Art Museum, Los Angeles, CA, and the University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, OR. Miller was awarded the National Endowment for the Arts Visual Arts Fellowship in 1994, and the Colorado Federation of the Arts, Artist Recognition Award in 1992. Brad Miller is part of the Denver Art Museum’s “Biophilia” exhibition which runs from May 5 – August 11, 2024.