The first comprehensive monograph of works by Ed Miller, a self-taught artist in wood

Nobody can remember that the wood turner Ed Miller (1928-2017) ever considered himself an artist. At the very most, he'd speak of 'the art of wood', or 'the art of turning'. Miller was a medical man from Columbus, Ohio. He was a man who had an incredible urge to create. From the age of 13 until just before his death, he would regularly stand at a lathe and engrave his name in no less than two thousand wooden bowls and platters. Ed Miller was a basement artist, one of those self-taught creatives who make it clear that dedication, perseverance, and talent can sometimes lead to impressive artistic results. Take one of his bowls in your hands and experience its beauty: however small and simple the bowls may be, their purity represents a universal truth. Time and again Miller succeeded in rendering the ordinary sublime, and so to lend dead wood new life. His output is a considerable achievement. As a legacy he leaves an oeuvre that is homogenous and of outstanding artistic quality, of which not a single piece has ever been exhibited in a museum. Nor do any publications exist about his work, which is quite remarkable, since Miller's platters and bowls attest to an intense power that supersedes by far the perfect mastery of a craft. This publication, for the first time, brings together a collection of his works.