Interview with Stormie Mills

Hi, Can you introduce yourself for us?

my name’s Stormie Mills and I’m from Perth, Western Australia.



What's your background? Art school? Self learner? Art for Dummies?

my background is based is drawing from a very early age, in 1984 I discovered spray-paint and painting in the streets, so I’m primarily self taught, at 15 I left home and travelled extensively and became a student of watch, learn and self experiment.



How will you describe your art for somebody who doesn't know your stuff?

my stuff is figurative, studies of the human condition in isolation, in a self regulated palate: Black=Dirt, White=The attempt to remove dirt, Grey=Concrete, Silver=Dreams, these works contemplate the ongoing contest staged on the concrete-scapes, the build up of dirt and the futility of it’s subsequent removal. My works are celebrations of beauty masked by the layers of life.



You use a lot of "typical" characters on your pieces.
Does working on the character design the most important ? Or the action you describe?

I think that for me the character is important, but in context of it’s isolation and loneliness is equally important, art therapy tells us that the size of the figure in relation to the size of the canvas is a key attribute, contextulizing the enormity of the world in which we exist. The human actions are those of humble struggle.



Did you ever produce a toy or think about producing your own characters as toys ?

I did some work with Raymond Choy and his team from TOY2R a few years ago and really enjoyed it. It’s something I’d definitely like to revisit in the future.



What are your favourite materials to work with?

I’m more interested in working with materials that are available than specifying a particular group of materials, I try to maintain an extension of my learning by not having access a plethora of perfect colours or materials, I like the craft that is developed through thought and problem solving in creating work.



Do you prefer to work outside on a wall or inside for a gallery ?

either is fine, both is good, one informs the other for me, always.



You've produced a lots of work. Do you have a favourite piece?

my favourite piece is usually the last one I did, it’s then replaced with the next one and so on, I need to learn from my work. I’m more inclined towards favourite themes like mortality, loss, and isolation and how that transcribes to my perceptions of someone.



Where do you get your inspiration from?

I’m inspired by people by the super hero in all of us, how things make or break a person how lives lived are worn as proud battle scars on weathered faces.

Best Gallery in the world? and why?

there are many I think, from classical to contemporary, but also the streets are and should remain a vital component in this equation.

Best City to paint outside? and why?

for me it’s usually Perth I have a connection to it, it informs my work, but I’ve enjoyed painting in Cities in Greece, London, Los Angeles, Melbourne, New York, Birmingham, Barcelona, Taiwan etc etc



How is the Australian scene ? Are you connected with other artists from your country ?

from what I understand the scene’s pretty vibrant, and innovative and I have connections to some artists, but I mainly work in isolation.



What are your plans in the near future? Any upcoming exhibitions?

I've some work in the Burning Bridges show that opens this week and I’ve just finished a body of work for a solo show in Sydney that opens at the end of July and am now working on pieces for a show in Los Angeles in October and another solo show in Perth in November, but immediately my plans are to move into a new studio when I get home, one that doesn’t leak when it rains!!!


Stormie's website http://www.stormie.com.au/