Alexander Millar, an artist by profession was born and raised in a small mining village called Springside near Glasgow in 1960. He was quoted saying “it felt more like growing up in the 1940s than in the 1960s” as the atmosphere and the people he grew up with were from that generation; men dressed in dark suits, smoking pipes, and burly women in aprons and head scarves had been a part of everyday life which has become a huge source of inspiration for him right throughout his career as an artist.
Moving to Newcastle upon Tyne after finishing school at the age of 16, Alexander has tried several jobs before becoming a professional artist in 1988. One thing he brought to the city with him when moving was the extensive stock of childhood memories from that sleepy village he grew up in, which he turn into beautiful work of art making them a sensation among the city dwellers. Now being one of the most sought after artists in the UK, Alexander Millar has been self taught which makes it a great achievement for any commercial artist.
Posted September 8th, 2010. Add a comment
Inspired by the characters from childhood, Alexander Millar is an immensely self taught artist whose passion is to paint simple yet treasured things in life. Most of his paintings are characterized by a main figure facing backwards accompanied by a supporting figure which sometimes takes the form of a child, a pet or even something as unimportant as an old bicycle. These shadowy backward facing characters create a sense of feeling that they are from the past and make the viewers feel as if they had been a part of it right throughout. This may hold true as common day to day incidents seen and experienced by almost everyone but chose not to give much attention to are being captured by the artistic eye of Millar and thus being converted into beautiful work of art. A drunkard walking along a deserted street, pictured in paintings such as “Balancing Act”, “King of the Road” and “Bring Me Laughter”, man walking his dog in “Every Pillar, Every Post”, two women gossiping away by the road side in “Gossips” and “Cheeky Girls” an elderly couple in “Mam & Dad” or a man engrossed in the racing sheets in “The Racing post” are just a few objects that have caught the attention of Millar.
“No Walkies For Me” is one such simple yet expressive work of art which depicts a man dressed in a dark suit riding his bicycle with his pet doggie at the back which is capable of making the viewer imagine of some untold story. The same applies to most of his work including “A Budding Romance” and “Moonlight Shenanigans”. “A Budding Romance” is such a romantic piece of work by Millar whose handiwork shouts out the emotions of the man in the painting even while he is facing backwards.
Even though some may find his work of art as frigid and obscure, it touches the hearts of many taking their solitary minds on a stroll down their memory lanes. For some they bring back memories from past which they hold dear to their hearts and for others they remind them of the tough times they have had overcoming obstacles and challenges and the bitterness life had to offer. All of these mixed emotions are beautifully incorporated into the paintings by Alexander Millar making them ever so desirable.
Posted September 6th, 2010. Add a comment
