UK painter Simon Miller has a particular interest in amateur photographs from a bygone era. . . when he finds one, he paints it! And the results are simply stunning:
Each of Simon’s paintings are incredibly saturated with bright hues and contrasting shadows, and are filled with classic cars and colorful dresses against a backdrop of verdant towns and suburbs. To me, it feels like California in the 50’s, full to the brim with nostalgia, town pride, and a hope for the future.
The act of immortalizing these throw-away photos in paint is quite appealing. Remember Kodak, Fujifilm, and Polaroid? We all know where the majority of those photos ended up—stuffed in a shoe box and then stuck in a closet! Perhaps a select few made it into a scrapbook, or got framed, but that’s not the sense I get from Simon’s work.
To me, these are the true snapshots of another age: they were taken only to be enjoyed for the moment, and then forgotten. And that’s what makes them so special.
Simon paints nostalgia like a second language. I wasn’t alive in the 50’s, and while I’ve lived in California, it wasn’t for long. But I can FEEL it in his paintings, like I was there, and I miss it. Illogical? Yes. Amazing? Absolutely.
To see more of Simon Miller’s paintings, please visit his website today.
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