Mike Miller is a successful self-taught artist specialising in oil paintings of Animals and wildlife. Born in Bromsgrove, now living in Wiltshire with his wife and two character filled, English Bulldogs. Mike is a painter who was originally more inter-ested in comic art while at college. He never really connected with his tutors espe-cially after being told his “art” would never amount to much. He knew this was not the right way to encourage young, developing artists so he gained his teaching de-gree and spent quite some time as an incredibly successful lecturer at an Art col-lege. It was a privilege to inspire and encourage his students, which allowed them to grow naturally in the right environment. They were able to freely develop their own style and follow their own love of art, in whatever medium. He moved on, to provide intensive art therapy to students who have struggled in mainstream educa-tion. Years later Mike decided to revisit his passion where he developed his skills with acrylics and later progressed onto oils. Throughout this time, he worked with various subjects such as portraits and landscapes, before combining his love of wild-life and art and developing his own style. The process is a direct one, where he dives straight in and paints directly onto a blank canvas. The shape and proportions fall into place and the character steadily evolves. The expression and eyes are important to the work as this is the area which allows their personality to come through. This is how Mike captures their core essence. He works on a mixed scale, dependent on the animal and what is most fitting for his vision. Mike is inspired to use a slightly more vibrant colour pallet within the work and aims to give an extra depth to the colour, conveying a strength and quality to the animals. To finish he adds layers of gloss varnish to give the character its vibrant lively appearance. Mikes work is most-ly for direct commission, for which he is in high demand and has received commis-sions worldwide, He has also featured in Galleries and exhibitions throughout the Country.