Paintings of Leon Miller Jr. on Display at Central Library Through July 31

 

Birmingham artist Leon Miller Jr. posing with his painting "Wilderness Jazz" 

What: Artwork of Leon Miller Jr.

Where: On display on the first floor of the Central Library, 2100 Park Place in downtown Birmingham. 

Details: Leon Miller Jr.'s artwork is described as "creative landscape that will transport you to another location. He has done 425 paintings since becoming an artist two years ago amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 30 of Miller's works of art are on display at the Central Library through July 31. All of the paintings are for sale. 

How to reach Artist Leon Miller Jr.: Email address is  leonjrmiller58@gmail.com or via phone (205) 923-3563.  

Birmingham, Ala. - Upon soaking in the amazing colors and details in the incredible landscapes painted by Birmingham artist Leon Miller Jr., on display in the Central Library in downtown Birmingham through July 31, you would think he has been painting for decades. 

Miller, 65, has actually been painting only two years – and self-taught himself how to paint by watching videos online. He took up painting as a hobby during the COVID-19 pandemic while looking for fun ways to pass his time.

Miller’s art exhibit is described as a “creative landscape that will transport you to another location.”

A retired steelworker originally from Boston, Mass., Miller relocated to Birmingham to care for an aging mother. He met his wife of 43 years, Linda, a native of Bessemer, who he says has been his No. 1 supporter and sounding board since he took up painting. He and his wife have three grown sons.

 Miller has painted 425 pieces of art since he took up this hobby two years ago. Over 30 of his paintings are on display at the Central Library. As an artist, Miller wants his paintings to bring people peace and joy as art lovers reflect on the beauty of nature - no matter how chaotic life can be.

“When I paint something, I want it to touch that person looking at my work,” Miller said. “I want people to be able to see and feel something right in here – the heart. When they feel something, I know that I have touched you.” 

In a Q&A with BPL PR Director Roy L. Williams, Miller talked about his talent for painting -and what inspired his work. He also gives credit for many of the best paintings to his wife Linda.

 “She is my personal critic who I look up to for ideas,” Miller said. 

BPL: Leon, looking at the amazing quality of your work, I find it hard to believe that you have only painted two years and have no formal training as an artist. What inspired you do this? 

Miller: During the pandemic I am the type of guy who gets bored pretty easily. I was looking for something to do. I was watching two guys on cable television, Bill Alexander and Bob Ross, who influenced me greatly.. I bought my painting tools, oil, easel, canvas, and started. My wife was my sounding board and said that is pretty good. I would stay up . When I got done I had five paintings in one night. 

BPL: How many paintings have you done over past two years? 

Miller: About 425 or so.

 BPL: These painting are so amazing. Have you done any other showings? 

Miller: No this is my first showing. The reason it is here is my daughter in law and my wife had been instrumental – they prodded me to sell some or put them somewhere where people can see them. Bessie Miller asked me if I wanted to hang a few down here. My wife said go ahead and do it. 

 BPL: Describe your artwork. What type paintings do you do? 

Miller:  I basically paint what I feel. I may see a tree, a cloud or sunset and get inspired. I go back and try to mimic what I saw. I just start painting and let it manifest itself. I don’t really get a chance to take it in until a few days later when I step back and say “Did I do that?” 

BPL:  Are a lot of these paintings places you have ever been or just scenes made up? 

Miller: Some of my paintings are places I have been or seen. One is a bridge at a place called Franklin Park that I saw when I lived in Boston. Most of them are here in my mind. 

BPL: How do you prepare yourself to do a painting.

Miller: When I get ready to paint, I get myself a glass of wine and put it off to the side. I turn my music on - basically jazz or a little R&B. It puts the feeling in to paint. The artist who influenced me, Bob Alexander, said “You must paint what you feel. When you stand in front of a blank canvas, don’t be afraid of it.” Attack the canvas and gradually you will put the sun and clouds in, or whatever is inspiring you that day. 

Come to the first floor of the Central Library downtown to see all 30-plus of these beautiful pieces of art up close and in person. 

Remember: All of Leon Miller Jr.'s painting are for sale. The price is on each artwork.

Below, Miller shares the inspiration behind a dozen of his favorite paintings on display.  

  

Wilderness Jazz

Miller: I am a big jazz fan. I love Kirk Whalen because I am a sax player too. Tom Brown and others. When I was painting this, I was listening to these guys playing their instruments and I wanted to paint a picture in which if you were out by yourself - no noise at all – if you really stopped and listened to crickets chirping, frogs croaking on the Lillie pads, fire flies and nature and the water itself, that has the baseline. You have the flowers moving to the gentle breeze and the trees that creak every so often, that’s jazz. That is a jazzy place to be. You don’t worry about the hang ups of life, you are taking it in. Then you step back off at an angle you see the emerald water. You have the wildflowers and other scenes on the mountain crest. As you look at all of these things from time to time you hear a rock fall or an animal sound nearby. All it plays together so that you can get the jazz out of the wilderness. That is why I call it Wilderness Jazz. 

Peace of Mind by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: This is one of my favorites. Think of yourself walking deep in the woods and you come out to a clearing. And you stand there and can see the midst off of the tops of the mountains. It is about to be nightfall. You have the trees in the landscape. You are sitting there enjoying all of this, then all of a sudden you take in a waterfall. It is not making a lot of noise, but has a bubbling sound to it. You notice off to the left a deserted cabin. Someone might have at one time lived there. This guy was living the life – he has the brook outside, waterfall this way. He has all of his nature friends like deer coming out to visit and a bear or two. They all know each other; they don’t bother him and he doesn’t bother them. This is a slow, lazy part of the river. You see fish swimming underneath the water. You sit there listening and watching, painting a mental portrait of the peace you see. It is the fall of the year. Every tree is putting on it’s fine dinner jacket of many colors. The woods are saying “Hey come out and hang out with us for a while.” It is quiet, serene, and that peace of mind you get from being there. 

Dreamer's Paradise by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: "This comes from a dream I had. It was peaceful, nice. I owned this land. My best friend and I were going out fishing and we got up early in the morning. We had our cup of coffee talking about what we were gonna catch. Just looking at the water I said, "You know something Clay, this looks like a dream. He responded, "Yea - a dreamer's paradise." So that is what I called the painting. Clay is gone now but every time I look at this, Clay is still with me.

Vision, an abstract painting by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: When I paint, I do not look at the finished work until a day or two later. This one is called an abstract painting. One of the painters who influenced me said “You never want to have the same thing over and over in your gallery. It becomes boring and people want to see something else. I went with this abstract because different people see different things. When I first started painting this, I saw the woods and waterfall. I dressed it up with a little color. After I was done, the next day or so my wife asked “What is this you got. I see a horse in there.” Later I spotted lips and a goatee. 

BPL: When you originally painted it, that was not in your mind?

Miller: No. I was just painting a waterfall. Once you find that waterfall, you see everything else. With abstract, the person who is looking at it envisions what he or she sees. He may be able to see something you don’t. You have two horses. Over here you have a lady who is crying. But you can’t see it unless you look hard as she is slightly bent over. Over here you see a man hiding, there is his nostril and then you see his goatee at bottom of the waterfall. On left side you have an alien – there are his eyes. It is there for people to see what they want to see. I may point out something and you see something else. 

Flowers of the Heart

Miller: I painted "Flowers of the Heart" on a black canvas so that the colors stand out. These are all flowers from when I was a child. I used to be notorious about stealing flowers from my neighbor’s yard to give to my mother. One day the woman caught me. These flowers were in her yard. She had wild flowers, peppers. This old lady had a green thumb and began to teach me. I added different flowers I had seen from being a kid; I was a flower nut. This scene is at night, the moon is out and the flowers are reflecting the light back. On the beaten path, you can see what is going on in nature itself with all type flowers about to grow. You can sit back and meditate on these flowers. They don’t live that long, but are still happy to be alive which is how we should be. 

Canyon Mountain

Miller: I derived Canyon Mountain from when I used to live in Ohio It was cold and sometimes would be a dark overcast day. I was 8 years old at the time, sort of an odd kid who like to things in at face value. I saw myself in my mind sitting on one of those peaks enjoying the sites and the water below. Every now and then I could see a salmon underneath the ice. it was peaceful, and quiet. As I got older, I started looking back and reminiscing about things I had seen in my life and put it on the canvas.

Paradise Falls by Leon Miller Jr. 

Miller: With "Paradise Falls," I wanted to put three waterfalls in it when I first started. But if you look up at the very top, that is where the waterfall starts. An overcast sky is there so you really can't see it well. While it looks like water falling from the sky, it is actually from another waterfall.  You see these falls almost aligning each other. They each feed to one below it and end up in a pool at the bottom. 

Moon Lit Night by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: "Moon Lit Night" is a campus paradise, a place to get off with your wife with nobody else around and enjoy nature. You can sit out there, look and enjoy the world. You can even put your feet in the water. You see the moon in the sky above the trees. You have flowers, different weed. It is a place you can go stay in a cabin in the woods with your wife or significant other.       

Lee's Sweet Place by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: "Lee's Sweet Place" was inspired by when I was a passenger in a car a long time ago driving through North Carolina. There was a bad accident and we had to slow down. I looked off to the side and thought of all the places to be when stuck in an accident, I would rather be right down there sitting next to that small brook. The water was flowing slowly - you could just about taste it. Water purifies us. I was wishing I could get me a cup of that water and enjoy the scenery. It took my mind from where I was at stuck on the road.      

Indian Valley Part 1 and Indian Valley Part 2 by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: This is from Cherokee, North Carolina at an Indian reservation. I walked out in wee hours of the morning, sat on a little bridge and soaked in the view. I was far enough back to see everything. There were a few coyotes and rabbits running  around, but as long as you didn't encroach upon them, they kept doing their thing. I was 18 years old when I saw this  amazing scene.

Wilderness Calm by Leon Miller Jr.

Miller: One of the artists who inspired me said once "Do it the way you see it and then name it the moment you get done with it." I looked back at it and said "That looks like a calm place to be" and my wife said It looks like you are out in the wilderness." That is why I call it "Wilderness Calm" - You have the trees, it is at night and the moon is about to rise in the distance. You have fruit trees  and a waterfall easing right through it. It is peaceful. That is where any man will want to be to get away from the rat race of life- a nice place to sit, look, listen and realize how small a piece of nature you are.   

Miller: Wilderness Watering Hole" is a scene that could be anywhere in the world. It could be in the United States, it could even be in India where they have Bengal Tigers that would come out amongst the bushes and trees to the watering hole. The animal will give a look around to see if anyone is watching then come out to the water that is cool and crisp. All he wants is a drink of water where he can sit back and lick is paws and enjoy himself. You may have white tail deer hiding from the hunters who come out of the woods to chill at the watering hole. You may have rabbits come down on this dead tree that adds to the painting. This is nature exactly as it is – dead trees. Where this one fell, another is growing up. This is deep in the woods where only the critters know what is going on.