Thank you for visiting my website!
My name is Janet Nechama Miller. I am an artist and teacher here in Seattle, WA, where I was born and raised. I teach workshops on mixed-media encaustic painting, collage, and bookbinding. I also teach self-defense and boundary-setting classes (check out the link to Home Alive). I love to share skills! Please get in touch with me if you are interested in attending a workshop, arranging a studio visit, or purchasing artwork.
As an artist and a community member, it is important to me to engage in social justice and anti-violence work. I strive to be a part of movements that are building safer communities here at home, and also to understand the impact of injustice, oppression, and different forms of violence on communities outside of the U.S. This work drives me to both create my own artwork, and to share the creative process with those around me
My artwork is directly inspired by experiences I have had, questions that have been raised, things I have seen, and stories that I have been told while immersing myself in education & struggles for liberation in Seattle, Tucson, Mexico, Guatemala, and Israel/Palestine.
I am amazed and inspired by the incredible amount of resiliency people have in the face of tragedy and oppression. And, I see, again and again, how essential art is, as a tool for building movements to end violence and oppression for all people.
I create my paintings with beeswax, oil paint, graphite, and found materials. These materials include used maps, salvaged books, letters, flyers, doodles, and various items I find on the ground or am given. These saved and rescued scraps are a tangible recollection of experiences I have had, which build on each other to create an endless, constantly changing story.
My painting process involves many steps. I begin by layering beeswax and collage materials, creating a surface filled with semi-hidden stories and memories. Then, I use handmade transfer paper and my beloved sharp tool to draw lines. I cannot see these lines until I remove the transfer paper. After that, I work with what I have intuitively created by adding layers upon layers of wax, paper, and oil paint.
As I paint, my ideas about what the finished piece will look like constantly change and grow. My process is driven by questions: What experiences do these collage pieces represent? How do these items work together, not only visually, but emotionally as well? How are these experiences related to one another, and how am I exploring those connections with this piece? What issues are raised when reflecting upon various experiences? And then, how does using artwork to process and describe these experiences connect to the work I am doing in the world around me?
I love what I do and I feel grateful that I am involved in work that allows me to continuously grow and learn, and to build on what I discover by taking risks and trying new things. I have an amazing amount of support from incredible people around me. Every bit of help, advice, and encouragement has been essential for me to continue doing what I do. So, thank you for being my friend, buying my work, visiting me in my studio, hiring me to paint murals or teach children, helping me with computers, taking pictures, being my mentor, looking at my website, and everything else that you have done for me. I appreciate all of it, enormously.