Mexico
Artist
Keith Miller
(Canadian, b. 1949)
Date1999-2004
MediumMixed media: grease pencil, watercolor, graphite
DimensionsSheet Dimension (page height x width): 4 1/2 × 6 1/2 in. (11.4 × 16.5 cm)
ClassificationsMixed Media
Credit LineGift of the artist
Terms
Object number2015.25.43
DescriptionContains 24 drawings. Apart from one cursory watercolor sketch, all of the drawings in this book are executed in black and white. Some, especially those executed in 'grease' pencil, (the type of soft marker used to write on plastic or glass), exploit the full range of tonal contrasts to depict the effects of artificial illumination at night, (e.g. "Beach, Zipolite" or, "Night, Oaxaca"). Miller's interest in light is evident in many of his sketchbooks and in a drawing like "Pt. Angel, Mexico" the viewer senses the bleached out sunlight of midday in the tropics, submerging detail in its glare. Although none of the drawings here are direct preliminaries for studio paintings, they can be seen as preparatory for such work. Several oil paintings of Mexican coastal scenes which are informed by these kinds of drawings have been included in the digital file of 2015.25.43. There is a sense in which many of Miller's drawings can be considered as 'familiarizations' with certain subject matter, as can be seen here when considering a sketch in relation to a later oil.
On View
On view
