Culture & Entertainment Notebook: Mimicking reality through oil painting

Justin Henry Miller has dabbled in lots of different types of art the last 20 years, he said, but the one thing he keeps going back to is oil painting.

"I find it to be so seductive," said Miller, Southeast Missouri State University associate professor and exhibitions coordinator, explaining that he still feels like he is learning about oil paint.

He credits a lot of his artwork to thesis work he completed in grad school in 2006. But he also said not unlike other artists, his childhood and adolescence experiences influence his creations.

"I wasn't exactly inundated with art," said Miller, an Illinois native. "I grew up on a horse farm and what that exposed me to was this interaction of man and science, or man and nature; very first hand."

He'd seen his dad performing inoculations and ultrasounds on horses, which triggered a fascination with seeing "metal meeting nature."

Justin Henry Miller, associate art professor at SEMO, holds an art piece he created while standing amongst other pieces in the Serena Building at Southeast Missouri State University.KASSI JACKSON

It then led Miller to begin researching themes in science, like cloning and transgenic breeding, giving him more of an insight on "closing the gap between science fiction and science fact."

"Things that our parents' generation thought was science fiction are things they have actually done," he said.

But he's also interested in all the screw-ups along the way, Miller said.

"What happens to those (mishaps)? That's kind of how I think of my paintings," he said. "I think of them as experiments gone awry, like Frankenstein."

Miller has for some time been much more interested in "the monster or the thing that doesn't quite work," he said. Which is evident.

Some things might feel like they reference something, but the connection seems very surreal, Miller said, explaining several human-like features in one of his latest colorful portrait creations.

"I typically do thumbnail sketches to get ideas generated," he said. "I probably do some of my best doodles in faculty meetings."

He uses wooden panels for the oil paintings, after sanding each one 10 to 12 times to achieve the desired smoothness, Miller said.

"I was definitely thinking about this idea of a portrait without a face. There are things I wanted to mash together to elude to this idea, made out of all these other parts," he said, explaining one of his pieces.

Miller said, "It's something that feels sort of nose-like," pointing to a blue protruding element within the painting. "For me, I like to at least have something that does feel like it's going back to something having man's hand on it."

Which is where a tattoo might come into play, he said, connecting it to man leaving his mark on his creation.

He also described his latest pieces as being similar to Mr. Potato Head, in some ways.

But painting isn't all Miller dabbles in, though.

"Another thing I do is collect vintage photos. I paint on top of them," he said, holding a 4-inch by 6-inch antique photograph -- with what resembled blue ears and a cap with tentacle-like features.

He loves adding something that has a bit of humor to each photograph, Miller said, adding that humor is indicative of all his work.

Miller has spent almost a year completing pieces before, but they were nearly 5 feet tall.

"A little guy like this, I can do in a week to two weeks," he said. "The oil takes some time to dry."

Miller also has recently tried his hand at murals, with one present at Kith & Kin on Independence and one completed with Southeast students at the location of Stevie's Steakburgers at 600 Broadway.

"That's something I got into probably within the last four years. It's just a different way or working and thinking. It's a great teaching tool, too. Students, and me too, are so used to being in front of that easel, as a painter often working alone. But when you're working on a mural, suddenly you might be part of a team."

Miller said he's lucky enough to be part of shows at two galleries -- Bruno David Gallery in St. Louis, Missouri and Zg Gallery in Chicago, Illinois.

"The one in Chicago, they're more familiar with the oil paintings," Miller said. "But the gallery in St. Louis, they're more into acrylic abstraction."

He also has a show at the River Campus slated next Friday highlighting his work, former students' work, some of his former professors and pieces he's collected called "Justin Henry Miller: Making, Collecting and Influences."

"I get so much from my students," he said. "I'm totally inspired by them, probably more so than they are by me."

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Backstreet's back

It's been 25 years and according to Entertainment Weekly, the Backstreet Boys aren't going anywhere anytime soon. Their latest studio album drops today.

The boy band first found its stardom in the late '90s with hits like "I Want It That Way" and "Larger Than Life."

The comeback began May 2018 with the release of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart," the first single off the group's 10th studio album, "DNA."

"That was the first song that really got us all excited," Kevin Richardson told Entertainment Weekly.

Then six months later, the group's second single "Chances," debuts.

Bandmate Brian Littrell said, "Both songs are completely different. Backstreet Boys are either known for dance songs or something that tugs on your heartstrings."

"We're influenced by rap, R&B, country, rock, pop, gospel, everything," Richardson added.

Bet on it

If you know anything about "High School Musical," you'll feel old realizing it's officially been 13 years since the first movie premiered on Disney Channel.

So here's a list of things you didn't know about the High School Musical movies, according to a recent story by Entertainment Insider.

• Ashley Tisdale and Lucas Grabeel, who played on-screen siblings, didn't like each other at all when they first met.
• "HSM" was filmed at an actual high school in Utah, while classes were in session.
• Another actor and singer, Drew Seeley, sang Zac Efron's tracks in "HSM."
• Monique Coleman almost quit acting right before she booked the role of Taylor McKessie.
• Several of the main cast members auditioned for other roles in "HSM."
• Lucas Grabeel was working at Blockbuster video before he auditioned for "HSM."
• Tisdale and Coleman actually knew each other before "HSM" because Coleman was on an episode of "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody."
• The "HSM" soundtrack was the top-selling album of 2006, according to Nielsen.
• Corbin Bleu came up with the catchy and funny T-shirt phrases that his character wore in the movies.
• In "HSM 2," the pink piano used in Sharpay's performance of "Fabulous" was repainted white for "Everyday" at the end of the movie.