For the love of drawing and escaping into the world of linear constructions!

In 1998, at the age of 24, when I graduated from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, with a degree in sculpture, little did I know what an adventure life would be. Within two years of graduation and with lots of signs of something going awry in my body, I discovered that I had a significantly large benign brain tumor. While at that time, the tumor was successfully removed, there was a guarantee of its return. So, with a need to navigate this world and live (with health insurance, etc.), I worked in the financial industry for 11 years, while finishing my bachelor’s degree at Penn, then I had a house painting business for 6 years, worked in the non-profit world for 7 years, and most importantly, became a parent.

With little time to make art, I did what I could when I could, including participating in the Soul Shots portrait project for 4 years, and being in juried shows. And then in 2017, my brain tumor came back, but as a significantly more pernicious, aggressive, and malignant tumor, and as of October 2023, I had to go on permanent disability, (which I like to call early retirement!), and I am again making art on a regular basis, and having a chance to enjoy my lifelong love of drawing.

These works are drawings that I have been making since 2023 and are ink drawings that I like to call my brick constructions, but they are there for anyone’s interpretation. For me, the bricks allow me time to play with lines and space. In some, I explore where their compositions will have very specific beginnings and ends, and in others, I play with more random organic constructions. More than anything, they bring me peace, help me be in the moment, and allow me to be lost in time. 

I should note that drawing has always been a part of me. The drawing on this page is one I made when I was 3 years old. His name is Pancake Man and clearly a sign of my aesthetic. :)

As all of us know, life is filled with unexpected paths of amazing, challenging, scary, and beautiful adventures, and I am grateful for the opportunity to make art and to be surrounded by wonderful and magical people. I hope you enjoy and thank you. 

-Nathalie Miller