Barbara Waite meets a Bolton artist who followed in his father’s footsteps

A keen walker and climber from an early age, Rob Miller has always been fascinated by the northern countryside. His work has been greatly influenced by the Lancashire and Lake District landscape, its raw climate, its beauty and its gritty history.

The son of Blackburn-based artist George Miller, he completed his first oil painting at the age of seven and has been developing his style using not only oils, but acrylics and pastels ever since.

‘My work for the last year has been based on making pochades or small paintings 20x30cm in size painted completely outdoors, which have developed into an exciting and challenging theme for me,’ said Rob.

‘I try to ensure that nothing comes between me and the experience of being in the land so I work quickly with brush, palette knife and oils, alla prima on white board or canvas. When weather forces me indoors I use the same techniques working up a series of larger paintings called Northern Row.’

This Pennine painting was created last November partly outside and partly in Rob’s studio at Falcon Mill, Bolton. This is an oil on canvas titled ‘First sleet, Far Bank End Farm, Coal Pit Lane, Rossendale’.

As well as painting, Rob is busy demonstrating his techniques at art societies around Lancashire as well as exhibiting at the Sine Dubio October Art Festival at Low Wood Bay on the shores of Lake Windermere from Monday, October 28 to November 3.

His work is on show in a number of Lancashire and Lakeland Galleries, including Wendy J Levy, Manchester, the Courtyard in Appleby, and Millyard in Saddleworth. In addition he has landscape studies of the cork oak forests of Portugal and the Sierras of southern Spain on show in Evora, Lisbon, Barcelona and Marbella.

Check out Rob’s website www.rob-miller.org, read his blog www.robmillerpaintings.com or phone 07841 140562 for more information.

Prices range from £250 for a pochade up to £2,500 for a larger piece.