Venn Miles, Smoker’s Lounge, 2022. Charcoal and oil pastel on paper, 38 x 45cm. $350. Courtesy: the artist
Amber Creswell Bell
Program Director Emerging Art, Michael Reid Galleries
By sparingly employing a mix of media, Venn Miles creates honest marks which successfully convey a strong sense of mood. Even with an economy of strokes, Miles convincingly evokes a scene before us, complete with a character, a setting and an ambience. Twisted and distorted, the non-literal nature of the picture takes us beyond a figurative scene to explore an element of the inner world. The rawness of the marks and the negative spaces allows ample opportunity for viewer interpretation.
Benjamin Clay
Gallery Manager, Olsen Gallery, Sydney
Miles’ Smoker’s Lounge gets to something very compelling very quickly, using line and colour as deeply evocative media. The artist rids their composition of superfluous detail, centering instead an empty chair and a troubled sitter, whose unflinching gaze stares beyond the viewer. This drawing exudes great confidence and celebrates its maker’s familiarity with charcoal and pastel.