Getting to know Miller Opie
Interview by Tabitha Williams
Miller Opie joined Fountain Street Gallery in 2020 as an Annex member, and this past winter became a Core member with the gallery. In this blog post, written by our spring 2021 intern Tabitha Williams, we get to learn more about her artistic journey, inspiration, and studio practice.
Could you give some background behind your unique choice of materials? Where do you find them and why did you come to use them?
I’ve collected shells and bones and feathers all my life. In my family, that’s just what we did. My dad collected bones and arrowheads when he was a kid, my mom collected bones and shells- so that was a given. As an adult, Dave (my husband) and I have always collected them too–to hang on the wall, to put on a shelf–like a piece of art or a basic nic-nac. Doesn’t everyone? We have cow bones from his family’s land in Virginia. We have pebbles from the beach in California and Rhode Island. Feathers and shells from South Carolina. But we had a bunch that we couldn’t display. All organized and waiting for something… So, when I got my studio in Chicago, I moved that stuff in. Maybe thinking I’d have them as inspiration or make the space look cool. But then I started cutting them up and reassembling/combining them…
Now my sister’s hunter friends give me bones from deer they hunt for food for their families. And just the other day a friend sent me some big turtle bones she found on a walk with her mom in Florida… I do NOT buy them. There is no industry in my materials. NO animals are being killed for art supplies. My studio is on the edge of the forest, so I can just wander out back and usually find something…
Alterable
deer mandible and femur slices, copper sheet, brass screws, copper nails and agates
9 x 4 x 4 inches
Since you do create such personal pieces of work, what has the art-making process helped you realize about yourself?
I think the process of making these things has helped me realize that I am going to be okay. I know that’s a bit basic- but I think it’s that simple and true. I was 41 years old when I started my surgeries. I had kind of just come to the realization that I liked myself. I had my Dad’s jawline and his legs. (he died several years earlier) And I liked seeing my Dad in me. And then BOOM, I have to have my jaw and leg altered. (my left fibula was removed and used to make my new chin, so I have a nice huge scar on my left calf as well) WHA???? So making these things almost takes away the focus of my face and leg and shows something else. And that makes me feel like I’m going to be alright, I’ll be just fine.
How far ahead do you plan your pieces, how much of it is spontaneous?
This depends on the materials. I knew I wanted to make large vertebrae pieces that twisted out of the wall when I was processing the materials. But then I’ve also found that many times I think about ideas for a LONG time. Without really figuring out the solution to what I want to make. Then there are other times where I kind of force myself to make something and it goes really, really quickly. I look through my materials, dig out things long packed away, and… BOOM that’s it! I like it and I have just made something. I think I also go through phases where I focus on photography, my website, other digital projects–and not actually make anything for a while. Then I have a burst and have several projects going on at the same time. That’s where I am now. I have materials spread out all over my studio–on every surface–so I can see shapes. I combine things and kind of line them up so I know what to do next.
Fly
seal, raccoon, groundhog ribs, sea bird feathers, horn, wire, and chain
66h x 25w x 25d inches
Did you follow a more traditional career path before (during) pursuing your own personal creative practice? What was your college experience like?
I’m a RISD graduate and majored in Jewelry and Light Metals. I changed my major a few times, I started in Graphic Design, then moved to Industrial Design and then finally Jewelry. I could have kept changing, but my parents threatened to kill me. I have a strong graphic sense but knew that I was truly a 3-D person. And I liked how more organic Jewelry was than Industrial Design. ID was a bit too technical and perfect. I felt Jewelry was a bigger, freer realm. RISD was great because it taught me to always be curious and always keep learning.
I worked for a couple of jewelry companies after graduation, while starting my own business. I was able to move to run my business full time, doing juried trade shows, selling to galleries around the country. But I knew I wanted to expand my abilities, and driving around the country, setting up my booth, selling my wares was intense. And I secretly wanted to work for Martha Stewart. And live in NYC. And my husband wanted to go to grad school in the city too. So we sold our house and a ton of our stuff and moved. A couple of months later I was working at Martha Stewart at the TV studio in Westport, and Dave had gotten into the School of Visual Arts for a grad program in Illustration (he’s a RISD grad too). I was one of the people who came up with the craft projects, then taught Martha how to do them before she’d go on camera. It was insane. I was being paid to make hand puppets, and shell frames and paper mobiles… It was amazing. One day Martha said “this project could be a kit, we could sell this” and she moved me down to the office in the city and I worked for Martha by Mail. First designing craft kits, then doormats, then Christmas ornaments, then furniture and bedding… I LOVED learning how all this stuff was made, by whom and where the best in the world was to be found. This leads me to Pottery Barn Kids in San Francisco, where I designed toys, holiday stuff, and lighting. Then I went to Sears and Kmart in Chicago to run the design department for home. My team and I created everything for the home–tabletop, bedding, holiday decor, furniture, lighting–everything. I got to travel the world going to factories seeing how all this stuff was made. All this time we wanted to get back to the East Coast, so when I was offered the job at Ethan Allen I said yes and we packed up and moved to Connecticut. I ran the rug and artwork businesses, co-created the Disney design direction, and then was moved over to run the Social Media. Unfortunately, I was becoming more and more unexcited about working in the corporate world. One day my position was eliminated and I was glad to be free of that kind of existence. And the really weird and wonderful thing was, we had moved all of our stuff into our studio THE DAY BEFORE!!! So after I licked my wounds, I realized I was supposed to make art now. But the studio and all that- that’s another story… ☺
Breached Connections
cow skull, copper sheet, brass screws, and brass finishing cups
7.5 x 21.5 x 17 inches
How do you personally define success?
I love this question and think about it all the time. I think success is doing what you want to do. I feel like I have been able to do this many times in my life. I closed my jewelry business down because I wanted to try something else. I moved from NYC to San Francisco and Chicago and then Connecticut because I wanted to try something else. All these moves, I learned SO MUCH. Everything I learned I was then able to use in my next venture. And the cool thing is, it kind of all comes together when I make art. Combining materials, techniques, etc–this is all based on what I have seen and learned in my career–all my experimenting is based on this. So, I feel like I am successful because I have learned so much that I actually CAN do what I want to do. I’ve been able to change, evolve and learn from all of my experiences. That is success to me.