Nancy Miller grew up in Phoenix in a home where art was woven into the fabric of everyday life. Her grandmother—a graduate of Augustana College with a degree in art—filled the house with oil paintings that subtly taught Nancy the fundamentals of color and composition long before she ever took a formal lesson.  Nancy has been married 46 years to Baton Rouge native John Miller.  Their three daughters are each artists in their own right.

 

Though Nancy has a Bachelor of Music degree, having performed over 20 leading roles in Baton Rouge, Memphis, and Phoenix, painting has always been her enduring passion. She often gifted portraits and landscapes to friends and family, treating art as a deeply personal form of expression.

 

An extended period in Phoenix and Tucson—spent caring for her elderly parents—became a turning point in Nancy’s development as a painter. Once again surrounded by the familiar paintings of her childhood, she was struck by their deep shadows and quiet, contemplative landscapes. These subdued works stood in stark contrast to the brilliant desert light and vast open skies outside her window, which inspired a series of Southwestern landscapes. Many of these were acquired by local collectors and exhibited in Tucson galleries. During this time, she refined her signature use of palette knife and layered color—techniques that continue to define her work today.

 

Nancy has always had a passion for the lushness and beauty of the Louisiana cypress swamps and moss-draped bayous. The region’s reflective waters and muted greens became her new muse, prompting a shift toward local Southern scenes that evoke both memory and mood.

 

Her work now hangs in homes throughout the South, representing a career shaped by inherited artistic influence, self-taught exploration, and a profound sense of place.