Meet Miles Elliot | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Miles Elliot and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Miles, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I really enjoy film, literature and art in general. My mind is always running and thinking about different visual scenes and I love when I’m able to make something out of my head and then share it with others to hopefully inspire them. One of the things I love about art is that it has the ability to pull you out of your reality and take you somewhere else. It’s my hope that my art will do that for others.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think two of the most important things I’ve learned since I started making art, is that you have to show up and do the work, even when you don’t feel like it. If you’re disciplined and commit to doing the work every day, you will create a momentum and build a body of work. It’s a muscle and it gets easier. And secondly, but just as important, you need to surround yourself with people who support you and your work. What I’m currently working on is a mixed media that blends collage with charcoal and oil pastel. The backgrounds are drawn from photographs I took from inside an abandoned paper mill and the collages are drawings of waste and other discarded materials in a human form. While they have a dystopian feel, I think there is so much beauty in repurposing and giving a new life to “trash.”

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I would take them to Powell’s book store and then to Hawthorne street which is lined with vintage shops and interesting restaurants. I would take them to the Hollywood theatre to see a movie and then I would take them for a hike in Forest park. Portland is full of interesting people so I’m sure we would meet some along the way. I would also take them to the Painted Hills, Smith Rock and Wallowa Lake which are three of my favorite places outside of the city because they are so visually arresting.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
There have been a lot of people who have have helped me along the way. The first people that come to mind are my first art teacher, Alexander Rokoff who introduced me to oil painting, Amy who’s been a creative mentor and teacher, my dad who has always worked really hard, which instilled a work ethic in me that I’m really grateful for, and my mom who started taking me to art shows and introducing me to artists at a young age and who’s always believed in me and pushed me to do what I love.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/miles.elliot.art

Image Credits
Photo credit for all photos: Rob Corpuz