Works by Miles Bair

Miles Bair’s deceivingly simple imagery and straightforward juxtapositions convey the temporal coexistence of cultural edifice and nature in both the real and the imagined world. He directs us to the ethereal beauty of natural spaces. Bair’s paintings have a highly resolved, handmade quality—a dot pattern emerges. The dots do not reference the pixel or digital processes; the dots simultaneously create illusions of solidity and space while breaking down  the painting surface into a series of small marks. Large areas of gold or silver gilding evoke Japanese Kano and Rimpa screen paintings. These gilded passages suggest a balance of orders and metaphorical meanings while integrating an architectural sensibility into the paintings. Bair frequently visits and works in Japan where nature and culture are intertwined. In Japan, gardening is a centuries-old high art. In Bair’s work, as in the garden, the traditional elements--waterfall, rocks, trees, and birds, all convey subtle meanings and elicit a sensual response. Although the artist’s work is influenced by Japanese aesthetics it is also situated among the traditions of early Modernism and American scene painters.

" The sun and the moon, and the days and the months, are eternal travelers-all. The years wander on upon the sea, traversing creation, drawn by windblown clouds, into a lifetime of wandering. Every day is a journey, and in the journey itself, one finds a home."  - Matsuo Basho from the Narrow Road to the Interior.

Cedars on the Bluff 50" x 40" Acrylic paint and metallic leaf on canvas, 2004 Miles Bair	Moon and Waterfall 60"x48" Acrylic, oil paint and metallic leaf on canvas, Miles Bair 2010

Reflection 36"x30" Acrylic,oil and gold leaf on canvas,Miles Bair 2010	Lakeside in Winter 36"x30" Acrylic, oil and silver leaf on canvas,Miles Bair 2010

Spring  48" x 36" Acrylic and metallic leaf on canvas, 2010 Miles Bair	Winter Ridge 40"x36" Acrylic,oil and silver leaf on canvas, 2010 Miles Bair

Stillness 40"x30" Acrylic,oil metallic leaf, mulberry paper on canvas, Miles Bair 2010	White bird, Winter 48" x 38" Acrylic on canvas, 2003 Miles Bair

Morning  48"x36" Acrylic, oil and metallic leaf on canvas, Miles Bair 2010	Akame: Bridge  50" x 40" Acrylic paint and metallic leaf on canvas, 2003

Fourfold Screen acrylic,oil and mixed media, Miles Bair 2010

Garden 36"x 30" Acrylic, oil, and gold leaf on canvas Miles Bair 2010	In the Park 36"x 30" Acrylic & silver leaf 2005

Cedars on the Dell   36"x48" acrylic and sterling silver 2005	Thaw  40"x36" Acrylic, oil and gold leaf on canvas, Miles Bair 2010

Toward the Lake, Acrylic and 22kt gold on canvas, 2005 Miles Bair

Violin for the Illinois Youth Symphony  acrylic and gold leaf 2005

Waterfall and White Bird, acrylic & gold leaf, 2006 Miles Bair

                                       SEE MORE IMAGES: http://www.milesbair.com/

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