Nancy Bea Miller

When I paint, I create a picture of stillness filled with impending movement: a moment held in suspension, inviting the viewer’s contemplation. My style can be best described as “loose realism.” I love the tactile feel of paint and enjoy the physical process of applying it to canvas or panel. Sometimes that joy is exuberant and obvious, sometimes its quieter and subtler, but it’s always apparent. I work in both acrylics and oils, and I paint from both from life and from reference. There’s nothing like painting outdoors, and feeling the full embrace of the world, as wind lifts your hat and dust flies onto your wet canvas and the distant bark of coyotes makes your skin prickle. It all becomes part of the painting. And working quietly in the studio, remembering the emotion of the moment when you took a photo, the sudden stab of joy at a sight and the awkwardness of making your exasperated companions wait while you fumbled with your camera, but your sense of urgency making you do it anyway. This is also real and sublime.

My instinct is to pare down the visual world to its inmost essence. This can cause some blurring of boundaries, some flashes of insight into our connectedness. Goats and apples may seem full of human emotions and motivations. A cliff face may appear in some way like an elderly man, sharing his wisdom. A woman standing in a field could impart a sense of rootedness, like a tree. My most heartfelt desire is to be open to the humor, beauty and feeling of this world and to paint it as simply and honestly as I can.

EDUCATION:

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, MFA 2014

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 4 Year Certificate

The University of Pennsylvania, B.A in English

The University of Edinburgh, Scotland, Exchange Student

GALLERY REPRESENTATION:

F.A.N. Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Abend Gallery, Denver, Colorado

Gallery 222, Malvern, Pennsylvania

gWatson Gallery, Stonington, Maine (closed 2024)

Newman Saunders Gallery, Wayne, PA (closed 2016)

Artists’ House Gallery, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (closed 2015)

Sherry French Gallery, Chelsea, New York City, NY (closed 2009)

Elm Tree Gallery, Franklin, Tennessee (closed 2008)

HONORS:

Best Artist Member, Plein Air Painters of New Mexico 16th National Juried Members Exhibition, Legends of the West Gallery, Santa Fe, NM, September 2024

Best of Show, Art of the Flower, Philadelphia Sketch Club, April 2023

Invited Speaker, Howard Pyle Studio Association, Wilmington, DE, March 2023

Honorable Mention, Animal Plein Air, Whitemarsh Art Center, March 2021

First Runner Up, Animal Portraiture, Portrait Society of America Competition, 2020

People’s Choice Award, Gallery222, Dueling Brushes, Dec 2019

Best 100 Figurative Painters, Buzzfeed, 2018

Best Transparent Watercolor Award, Philadelphia Sketch Club, Works on Paper exhibition 2016

The Faculty Award, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 2014

Philadelphia Flower Show: Artist-Floral Designer collaboration (First Place) 2014

Merit Scholarship, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts 2012-14

Award of Merit, Just Desserts Exhibition, Main Line Art Center 2011

Finalist, The Artist’s Magazine 23rd Annual Art Competition 2006

Art & Change Grant, The Leeway Foundation, December 2005

Invited Judge, The Ocean City Arts Festival, Ocean City, NJ, August 2005

Panel Member, Contemporary Women in Art, PAFA, June 2004

The Independence Foundation Fellowship in the Arts, 2003

The Valerie Lamb Smith Artist Residency 2003

The Lynch Award, 2003

The Francis Speight Award for Excellence in the Visual Arts 2002

PRINT (selected):

Old City News, Nourishing Art, June 2024

Fine Art Connoisseur, Virtual Friday Gallery Walk, June 2023

Fine Art Views, “Bravura Brushstrokes” March 28, 2022

The Washington Post, This is the painting I’d take home, if I could, by Sebastian Smee, December 9, 2020

The Inspired Painter Podcast, Guest Interview, episode 33, Januuay 2021

Fine Art Connoisseur, Weekly newsletter, The Maine Event, February 16, 2020

Preview Magazine, interview, “Always the Artist” Fall 2012

Southwest Art Magazine, article on Food Painters, November 2008

The Chelsea Clinton Times, review of Still Moments exhibit, June 2008

En Punto, two page feature with reproduction, spring 2008

Artful Blogging Magazine reproduction, spring 2008

Art Matters, Full page Review of Joining Forces show p. 13, October2005

The Philadelphia Inquirer, Best Bet, Weekend Section, September 18, 2005

The New York Times, reproduction & blurb p.13 (NJ), Sunday, May 1, 2005

The City Suburban News, article with photos, April 27, 2005

Montgomery County Town & Country Living, spring issue 2005

Mothering Magazine on-line, “Art and Autism” article & reproductions, September, 2004

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/18/04, Weekend Section, reproduction

Main Line Life, 7/23/03, interview and reproductions

Preview Magazine, Winter 2003, p.8, article and reproduction

Kalliope a journal of Women’s Art & Literature, Fall 2002, pp 36-45 and 119

The Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/31/02, review of Critic’s Choice exhibit

Penn School of Arts & Sciences alumni magazine, Summer 2001 interview and photo pages 6 and 7

EXHIBITIONS (selected:)

2024

Plein Air Painters of New Mexico (PAPNM) 16th National Juried Members Exhibition, Legends of the West Gallery, September

Little Luxuries: An Exhibition of Small Works, group invitational, Main Line Art Center, September-October

Solo Show, Nourish, F.A.N. Gallery, June

The Maine Event, group invitational, Gallery 222Malvern, February

2023

Solo Show, New Paintings, F.A.N. Gallery, March

The Art of the Flower, Philadelphia Sketch Club, April

Summer Works, gWatson Gallery, July-August

Small Works, Abend Gallery, December

2022

Small Works Group Show, Gallery B, November-December

Solo Show: New Paintings, F.A.N. Gallery, April

Gallery Artists Group Show, F.A.N. Gallery, Dec 2021-January

2021

Small Works Group Invitational, Abend Gallery, December

12th Annual Figurative Exhibition, Lore Degenstein Gallery, Nov/Dec

The Woodmere Annual, Woodmere Art Museum, May-June

Close To Home. Group Invitational, Gallery 222, March

2020

The Maine Event, Group Invitational, Gallery 222, February

2021

Philadelphia Stories 15th Anniversary Exhibition – Cheltenham Arts Center Nov -December 2019

2019

Solo Show, Gallery 222Malvern April

The Art of the Flower, Philadelphia Sketch Club 2018

FAN Gallery Small Works group invitational 2017

Solo Show, Gallery 222, Malvern, PA 2016

Montgomery County Community College Faculty Exhibition 2015

2014

Annual Student Exhibition, The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts

Art, Alibi, Anonymous We, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

2013

Year of the Woman, Artists’ House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA April

Art, Alibi, Anonymous We, Rosenfeld Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

The Philadelphia Story, Asheville Museum of Art, Asheville, North Carolina, 1/26-6/9

2012

Still Life Invitational. Artists’ House Gallery,Philadelphia, PA

2011

One Person Show, Recent Work, Artists’ House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA,. May

2010

One person Show Episcopal Academy, Devon, PA March-April

2008

One Person Show, Recent Work, Artists’ House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA, September 3- 28,

One-person show, Still Moments, Sherry French Gallery, NYC, May 28-June 21

Invitational, Flowers in February, Sherry French Gallery, NYC, Feb

2007

One-Person Show, Genre of Inclusion, Alternative Choices, Philadelphia, PA, March

One-Person Show, Rosemont School of the Holy Child, April 3-30

Painting=Poetry, Invitational, Sherry French Gallery, NYC, March 28-April 24

New Artists 2007, The Elm Tree Gallery, Franklin, TN February 2-23

2006

One-Person Show, Recent Work, Artists’ House Gallery, May 2011

One Person Show, Recent Work, Episcopal Academy, Spring 2010

One-Person Show, The Cake Frenzy, Artist’s House Gallery, Philadelphia, PA October 3-30 2008

Painting=Poetry, Group Invitational, Sherry French Gallery, NYC, April 2008

One-Person Show, Only Human ll, Manayunk Art Center, Philadelphia, PA,

April 2-30 2007

Flowers in February, Group Invitational, Sherry French Gallery,

Small Works, Group Show Invitational, Artists’ House Gallery, December 3-25

Four person show, Joining Forces, The American College, Bryn Mawr, PA

Two Person Show, Two Friends, Two Visions, Ocean City Arts Center,

Ocean City, New Jersey May 7-30

One-Person Show Rosemont School of the Holy Child, Rosemont, PA. March

One-Person Show, Recent Work, Artists’ House Gallery, Philadelphia, Jan 7-30th

2004

15 Exposures, USArtists Exhibition, US Armory Building, Philadelphia then traveled to two more locations. juror: David Cohen of ArtCritical, 10-12/04

One-Person Show, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Library, 9/15-10/15

Looking For America: 50 American Artists, Washington Gallery of Photography, Bethesda, MD, 9/5-10/4,

One-Person Show, Only Human, Manayunk Art Center, Philadelphia PA

2003

Art of the State, Pennsylvania State Museum, Harrisburg, PA

Annual Juried Members Exhibition, Wayne Art Center, Wayne, PA

PAFA Fellowship Show, Yellow Springs, PA

2002

One-Person Show, Recent oil paintings, Artists House Gallery, Philadelphia PA

Two person Show, Close To Home, Manayunk Art Center, Philadelphia, PA

Critic’s Choice Exhibition, Main Line Art Center, Haverford. PA,

critic:/juror Gerritt Henry of The Village Voice