Sam Miller makes his mark

Isaac Siegemund-Broka
Staff Writer

Junior Sam Miller is out to make his mark—literally.

Miller is a spray paint artist, using complex stencils to create original pieces. His works stray from standard art convention, heavily influenced by what Miller cares about.

“I would say that my main inspirations are 7-11 slurpees, my childhood, the Beach Boys and anybody who has a good attitude towards life,” Miller said.

Miller began working with spray paint in the fifth grade by creating small cardboard stencils for his favorite bands. His commitment and passion towards art has grown exponentially since then.

“I suppose just like any other kid with a spray paint can, I saw a Banksy piece and immediately had to do that, only at my house,” Miller said.

Ever since his first encounters with street art, Miller has been making detailed layered art with stencils and spray paint. Over the years, his work’s complication and size have amplified, as well as the amount of time required to complete each piece.

“The latest one that I’m working on took more time than anything I have ever done,” Miller said. “It has 5 layers of raw detail and probably measures close to four feet in width, and 5 feet in length.”

Art is a great motivator for Miller, who considers it an act of self-exploration rather than an illustration of technical ability.

“Art should be about letting out everything locked in the deepest corners of your mind and figuring out who you are, not about stressing over a canvas for two weeks to show how skilled you are,” Miller said.

Miller has been commissioning and selling art for several years, but has limited participation in contests. Despite this, he is currently entering an art competition sponsored by Aaron Brothers, enticed by the fitting prize—204 cans of spray paint.

“I’m more a fan of doing what I do and having the rest come after,” Miller said. “Once art is judged solely based on aesthetic and skill I lose interest.”

More recently, Miller has been expanding his artistic horizons through new mediums. While he favors spray paint, Miller experiments with characters and lettering, as well as photography and graphic design.

“I love drawing characters because I can just let my imagination scatter and crack myself up while doing so,” Miller said.

When he’s not creating his own art, Miller researches and patronizes other artists such as c215, Tim Burton, Rime, Dabs Myla and Ghostpatrol. Miller appreciates any artist who works outside the box and not for praise or money, but simply because he or she enjoys creating something new.

“Any artist who even tries to do something different than the pack and really cares about what they are doing is a true inspiration,” Miller said.

Miller has lost respect for many mainstream artists such as Banksy and Shepard Fairey, who create the stencils for their work on computers. Miller believes that a computer removes the art from the artist and diminishes its creative worth.

“I can’t truly respect anybody who runs a picture through a computer, cuts it, and calls it a stencil, no matter how complex it might be,” Miller said. “Simply based on this principle of not using Photoshop, I am furthering my own style any time I sit back and actually draw something out.”

Miller has produced a large collection of works—between fifty and one hundred—the subjects of which range from architecture to portraits.

“Every time I make a new stencil, I claim that it’s my favorite. I am the most happy with a portrait I made of Paul Simonon, the bass player of the Clash. It’s huge and was the piece that bridged into me spending more time on my work,” Miller said.

Miller hopes to continue to create art throughout his life.

“I would love the chance to pursue any occupation possible that is based around art,” Miller said.