1st Stage Showcases Works of McLean Artist

The works of local artist Gisela Miller are currently on display in the gallery of 1^st Stage in Tysons Corner. Large, colorful and playful, Miller’s paintings are in harmony with the rollicking comedic production of “By Jeeves.”   

Miller, whose works are featured until July 16, shared with McLean Patch her journey as an artist which has lead to her current exhibition.

McLean Patch: How did you come to 1^st Stage? 

Gisela Miller: Debby Conn [the curator of 1^st Stage] found me through a friend of a friend… She chose me as an artist for my body of work, and then I chose the work that I currently have at my studio that I felt most reflected the feel of the play…She had seen my work at the Torpedo Factory.

MP: How are your works reflective of “By Jeeves?”

GM: I’ve read every one of PG Wodehouse’s works. I love it. It just cracks me up…I really enjoyed the play…I tried to choose things that were playful, lively, colorful, not to be taken too seriously…

MP: Where have you shown your work locally?

GM:  I had shown at a gallery in Arlington not too long ago. Most recently I had shows in Naples, Florida and Boca Raton.

MP: Where can people in McLean see your work after this show closes?

GM: My home studio is always open by appointment… I’ve made my home into a gallery...I am here year-round now.

MP: What is your background, and how did you come to be an artist?

GM: I emigrated from Germany when I was 8…I went to the University of Illinois…My master’s degree is in comparative literature. I taught for 10 years at the Duke Ellington School of Arts in Georgetown. I taught German and Italian diction to the opera students…It was at that time that I became interested in all of the arts, and that’s when I started to take my arts education seriously and went to the Corcoran School…I’ve been an artist full time now for forty-some years.

MP: How has your work evolved? Have you always been an abstract artist?

GM: There’s always been this dichotomy between abstract and representation, but to me it’s irrelevant. Everything is abstract…A drawing is an abstraction.  My transition from representational to abstraction was very natural…I did wonderful landscapes and still lifes and pretty flowers… When you become more sophisticated and advanced, your representational  clients often don’t follow you in your path. The people who appreciate that…and the market for that is quite small so it becomes a challenge.

MP: What is your medium?

GM: Most are acrylic…I have done sculpture in wood carving and stone. I only do it for myself and my loved ones because it is truly a labor of love. 

MP: Tell me about your commission work.

GM: All my commission work is abstract…They’re incredibly fun and complex. It’s usually someone who looks for a particular type of work for a particular space…You have to listen very carefully to what people want because many people don’t speak the language of art…I have had 100% success…About half my work is commission.

MP: What is your agreement with 1^st Stage – do they take a percentage?

GM: Actually they don’t. They like having work up, and we give a donation based on the sale…I send a notice to people on my website. It’s a mutually supportive experience.

What: Works of Gisela Miller

Where: 1^st Stage Theatre, 1234 Spring Hill Road

When: Until July 16