“I’ve always had an eye for art and colors. I love looking at how things collaborate and match with each other,” said Willie Miller.

Miller said he takes inspiration from his family and his surroundings. Both things affect his art. He said his work really speaks to what is going on in his life specifically.

He likes to draw cartoons and does caricatures and airbrush art. His airbrush art will be the main focus of the show but he said he may also include some of his realistic pieces as well.
Miller tries to work on his art every day, sketching at work when he can and keeping himself in it.

So what does he do when the ideas temporarily stop coming?

“I definitely get artist’s block sometimes. When that happens I have to really think about what is it I want to draw. Whether I want to draw creatures or people, realistic to cartoon depends on how I am feeling at that time,” said Miller.

He said then he will look around and either chooses to draw something he’s seeing or something else will pop in his head and he will go off of that and brainstorm a bit.

One of the artists he admires the most is his friend Victor, whom he credits with keeping his competitive edge alive. The two have been friends since they were kids and always go back and forth with their artwork and the type of art they create. Working around his friend keeps Miller’s creative juices flowing and keeps the good vibes going.

In fact, whenever Miller is in a bad mood, the first thing he does is draw.
“If I’m stressed out or feeling under the weather, I like to draw something happy. It always helps elevate my mood,” he said.

When people see Miller’s work, he hopes they will realize that art comes in all forms: in everyday clothing, in furniture, in housing. He said he wants people to see that everything can be art in some way, shape or form.

Cali Commons is presenting Miller’s first solo show. He said he’s always shown is work to his peers and his family and they’ve told him he’s good at it but he would love to hear what the public thinks.

“I have always believed that proper preparation prevents poor performance. And that applies to everything you do. If you’re prepared then there’s no need to fear failure,” Miller said.

Miller’s work can be seeing during Cali Commons’ regular Wednesday gallery hours on October 29 and November 5 from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.  A closing reception will be held Saturday, November 8 from 7:00 – 10:00 p.m. and will include live music by Idris.