Local artist Miller channels the great outdoors in her work

Margaret Miller's Sky, Trees and Earth art exhibition runs Tuesday, Aug. 7 through Friday, Aug. 31 at the Archway Gallery, located at 2305 Dunlavy St., in the Heights.

After a workweek of being cooped up indoors, Sugar Land resident Margaret Miller is eager to spend her weekends outside.

"It gives me a great sense of relief to be outside and see the wide open sky," says Miller, who designs websites weekdays and is a fine artist. "It makes me feel free and relaxed."

Miller hopes people grasp that same appreciation for nature when they view her oil paintings of Texas landscapes that will be featured in her Sky, Trees and Earth art exhibition, scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 7 through Friday, Aug. 31 at the Archway Gallery, located at 2305 Dunlavy St., in the Heights. She draws much of her inspiration from Brazos Bend State Park and the Texas Hill Country.

"I want (the public) to feel the same joy I do," Miller said. "When they look at a painting, I want them to feel that sense of sunshine or that sense of a storm approaching, that quietness and mystery of nature."

Miller believes she can invoke nature's mystery by painting her landscapes in oils, not watercolors or acrylic.

"I like their texture, the way they feel when I use a palette knife," Miller said. "I like the way it feels when it goes onto the canvas, and it's very easy to work with. It's easy to apply and easy to remove if you want to change an area of a painting. I can always come back later to correct or adjust a painting, so it's easy to apply directly."

Miller traces her fondness for art after spending three summers of her childhood visiting an aunt in Washington, D.C. During those trips, Miller, her sister and her aunt would often visit museums together.

Miller would often select the National Gallery of Art as a museum she'd visit in her free time. This, she says, was the start of her appreciation of art.

Her interest in art was nurtured further by her parents, Marion and Rick Hanner, who encouraged her in her childhood and teen years to enroll in private art lessons.

"My parents always displayed my art around their house and made sure I went to art shows and museums," Miller said.

ABOUT MARGARET MILLER
AGE: 59
OCCUPATION: Fine artist and website designer
CONNECTION: Sugar Land resident
FAST FACT: Miller credits her parents for nurturing her love for art by taking her to art shows and museums, signing her up for afternoon art lessons and displaying her handiwork in their home.