Blake Milteer
Degree: Fine art
University: Maryland Institute College of Art
Graduation Year: 1991
New Blood Art Commentary
Notable Achievements 2023
Tangled marks and gestures form twisted roots and branches. Blake Milteer’s meticulously put-together drawings ask questions of their construction, making one want to get close to the work, to see how the graphite touches the paper. To see how much pressure from the pencil, to see the fine linework. Enchanting but strange, the work’s medium and materiality is obvious, yet this doesn’t prevent them from edging towards the photographic, towards printed reproductions in the newspaper. It would be easy to simply speak about Milteer’s craftsmanship, such is the compelling nature of the drawings. This is also in part down to well-chosen and engaging subject matter. Natural forms collide and collapse, growing into and out of one another. Dead matter becomes compost; the landscape is a space for regrowth. It is a space of possibility, something highlighted by Milteer’s quiet but persuasive images.
Artist Statement
In my drawings, I aim to reflect characteristic aspects of individual landscapes but also to represent my experience and memory of spending time there. From being in these places - often for extended periods and over many years - to creating the drawings, I look to challenge my own expectations, familiarity and comfort. Through vigorous and fine mark-making I hope to reflect a sense of density and constant change.
I have worked for more than thirty years as an artist, curator and educator. After university, my professional emphasis was on curatorial work for the Denver Art Museum, Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center, the National Library of Scotland, the National Galleries of Scotland, and The Macallan. I currently live in Edinburgh, where I have re-prioritised by creative practise while continuing select curatorial work.
Solo Exhibitions
(2002) Badachro, St Mary's Academy, Englewood, Colorado, USA
(1995) Redefining Proximity, Opicka Gallery, Denver, Colorado, USA
Group Exhibitions
(2023) Winter Showcase, Gairloch Museum, Gairloch, Scotland, United Kingdom
(2023) Through the Branches, Birch Tree Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom
(2022) Winter Showcase, Gairloch Museum, Gairloch, Scotland, United Kingdom
(2009) Faculty Choice Exhibition, Colorado Gallery of the Arts, Arapahoe Community College, Littleton, Colorado, USA
(2001) Emotional Distance, Gallery Sink, Denver, Colorado, USA
(1991) BFA Degree Show, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, Maryland, USA