Brad Miller: Stones & Object Relations Theory

Edward Cella Art & Architecture is proud to present Brad Miller: Stones and Object Relations Theory, the artist’s second exhibition with the gallery. Exploring the psychoanalytic relationships we have with objects, Brad Miller will present ceramic wall sculptures, an installation of abstract ceramic stonework, and paintings.

Miller describes his work: “Think about all of the things you find in the city, or at the beach, here in Los Angeles, all the things, the rocks and cracks in the sidewalk, the natural things trying reclaim the city and world that is theirs and we layer over it, over and over.” Recalling this frenzied energy from his Venice Beach studio, Miller physically interacts with his work, applying layers of slip and paint, firing, torching, sanding, tumbling, and grinding away layers. This gradual process reveals their temporary condition as objects that change according to the needs of the those who use them. Employing methods of abstract expressionism and conceptualism, Miller orchestrates accidents to build forms that mirror found stones, and paintings that could be sculptures in an exacting manner. He says, “I want to put more natural things back into the world, so I make these rocks and paintings the same way the earth does, with clay, and pigments and dirt and energy.”