Margo Miller (b.1959)
Calm and a Horse, 2021
Materials: Oil on canvas, triptych, 4’ x 9’
Location at Summa Health: Juve Family Behavioral Health Pavilion, Second Floor Lobby
About the Art
In Calm and a Horse, Margo Miller invites us into a vast, serene autumn landscape that captures the essence of the changing seasons. The sweeping views, with their warm, earthy tones of browns, oranges, and greens, evoke a sense of tranquility and natural beauty. The distant hills glow with the soft light of the late afternoon sun, while the gentle flow of the river cuts through the triptych, enhancing the feeling of movement within the stillness. The careful interplay of light and shadow imbues the scene with a sense of time passing, and the horizontal strokes of color create a calm, rhythmic harmony across the three panels.
However, it is not only the landscape that captivates us but also Miller’s intentional focus on the texture and movement of the brushwork itself. The unmodulated horizontals of color, with their subtle vertical strokes, suggest the natural forms of rocks and foliage, while also drawing attention to the process of painting. Miller embraces the abstract potential of landscape, exploring its form beyond mere representation. Her work is inspired by the abstract landscapes of artists like Paul Cézanne, yet her vibrant, bold canvases offer a more expansive, dynamic interpretation.
The inclusion of a horse in each panel introduces a personal, almost autobiographical element. The solitary nature of these figures, standing thin and wiry against the vastness of the landscape, speaks to Miller’s childhood on a farm in Ohio, where horseback riding deepened her connection to nature. The horses are central to the narrative of the landscape, reflecting the artist’s enduring relationship with the natural world, both as a child and as an artist.
Where You Can See More of This Artist’s Work
Margo Miller’s work has been widely exhibited in Ohio, including in the Butler Art Institute’s annual national midyear show. In 2022, she had a major solo exhibition of her landscapes and some interior pieces at the Sally Otto Art Gallery in the Giese Center for the Performing Arts at Mount Union University. Her work is also held in numerous corporate collections, including Akron Children’s Hospital, the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland, Kaiser Permanente, and Mars Horse Care, Inc., as well as in private collections across Ohio and beyond.
Miller teaches art at Mount Union University, where she holds the Dr. Robert T. and Phyllis S. White Endowed Chair in Art and Visual Media. She has earned degrees from the University of Akron (B.F.A.) and Kent State University (M.F.A.), and her career has spanned teaching, administration, and gallery curatorship.