Gloria Miller Allen, watercolor, ‘Bellingham Pier’

An inner drive took hold of a young girl in Kansas the moment that art materials were put in her hands. No formal art education beyond secondary school, but a stint at Hallmark Cards‘ lithography department in Kansas City gave Gloria Miller Allen a strong foundation in the basic skills.

Her first medium is transparent watercolor, but she also does serigraph prints–and puts pastels, acrylics, oil, ink, to work in the service of her inspiration. Now she is absorbed in working in a very large format.

To do justice to her many artistic activities, awards, honors, and venues would go beyond our space, so be sure to visit Miller’s website as well as a secondary one to get the details.
The challenge of seeking perfection stimulates her to say, “You reach for perfection, it stays out of reach, yet you never tire of the reaching.”  One lifetime goal was signature membership in the American Watercolor Society, which she received in April 2006!
Miller aims to depict the beauty of her world while expressing her own inner meaning. A tenderness about human life as well as the life of the planet both dominates her careful effects. I see deep feeling translated into powerful painting.
While boat art is just one of her several interests, her Pacific Northwest marine series (featured here) shows that it is a major source for her artwork.–CLH