About — Mikaela Miller

INTRO // ARTIST CV // PRESS

Mikaela Miller

Mikaela Miller is a young Western Australian artist, working out of a studio at Goolugatup Heathcote. Trained in both design and community development, she works as a public artist, studio painter, printmaker, digital artist and arts facilitator. Her practice is driven by a keen interest in the natural world. How it connects us to each other and our surroundings. The evolution of landscapes, biodiversity and the significance of plant species to place or local narratives. The details, growth and function of plants and all of their parts.
Mikaela’s work has evolved through observing unique features of specific species and exaggerating these through the manipulation of line. These ‘signature florals’ can be found painted onto walls across metro and regional WA, with a catalogue of over 35 public art commissions. Including murals for No More Blank Walls; Kalgoorlie HeARTwalk and the Collie Mural Trail, some of WA’s most recent, leading street art trails and festivals.
Currently her work is evolving to focus in further on specific moments in nature that capture her attention. Combining her love for line with texture and pattern. Layering specific details from a landscape to create forms and surfaces.
Her obsession with flowers runs back to her childhood - growing up in her Grandparents’ prize-winning garden. She would watch her Pop arrange bouquets and vases for display.- witnessing how their yard full of blooms impacted the wider community. These flowers permeated simple human interactions, facilitating generosity, reflection, joy and connection.
Her dedication to investigating species that are specific to each work’s locale is how she begins trying to understand a place. Just like her Grandparents’ garden - flora can be its own landmark. The variation of species across landscapes has been integral to way-finding, or understanding the significance of a place since the beginning of human intelligence. She also feels it’s important to explore a place, not only for what it is now but for what it once was and what it could be (or could have been).
Mikaela has exhibited in an array of group shows across Perth (Boorloo), Fremantle (Walyallup), Kalgoorlie, Dwellingup and Collie. She also had a small solo exhibition in 2019. This same year, her interview with Gardening Australia was televised on the National ABC Television Network. In 2021 Vicinity Shopping Centres commissioned a festive gift wrap artwork, which was rolled out across major shopping centres in WA and South Australia, and will be distributed nationwide come Christmas 2022.
Mikaela is part of the Blankwalls artist family and in 2021 became a full member of the Swan River Print Studio.

A young Mikaela Miller looks at a full vase of flowers.

A street corner garden filled with pink, red, yellow and white flowers.

ARTIST CV.

EDUCATION

GradDip Community Development - Murdoch University (Community Arts focus), 2019

CAS1x Noongar Language & Culture - CurtinX Online, 2018

BA (Humanities) Graphic Design & Creative Advertising - Curtin University
(Distinction; Vice Chancellor’s List), 2016

WACE Yr 12 with ATAR - Applecross SHS (5yrs in the GATE Visual Arts program), 2013

PUBLIC & PRIVATE LARGE SCALE WORKS

Vicinity Centres Midland Gate Shopping Centre, Midland 2021

City of Fremantle Recycling Centre Community Hub, Fremantle 2020
Collie Mural Trail Water Corporation Pump-House mural, Collie 2020
Iona Presentation College Laneway Mural, Mosman Park 2020
Inglewood on Beaufort Woolworths Hoarding, Inglewood 2020
City of Stirling Laneway Activation Hopscotch, Karrinyup 2020
City of Melville Cleopatra St x Adrian St Sump Fence, Melville 2020

Main St Co-Op Street Library, Osborne Park 2019
City of Melville Baal St x Marmion St Sump Fence, Melville 2019
Private Residence Fairy Wren, Bicton 2019
Mrs S Cafe Portrait, Maylands 2019
Booragoon Occasional Early Education Centre Bathroom & Entrance, Melville 2019
Bicton Primary School Stage Backdrop, Bicton 2019
SHACtivate! Community Canvas, White Gum Valley 2019
Shire of Capel Youth Week Mural, Dalyellup 2019
Shire of Capel Youth Collective Skate Link Murals, Capel 2019

ART ON THE MOVE Hello Fremantle Open Day, Fremantle 2018
Private Residence Dragonfly, Palmyra 2018
Merredin College Year 9 Project, Merredin 2018
South Perth Learning Centre x City of South Perth Banners in the Terrace, South Perth 2018
Donnybrook Hardware and Gardens façade, Donnybrook 2018
Kalgoorlie HeArtwalk Goldfields Revitalise, Kalgoorlie 2018
LivLab Wholefood Deli Menu & Signage, Palmyra 2018
Booragoon Occasional Early Education Centre Exterior Signage, Melville 2018

Murdoch University Student Guild Tavern, Murdoch 2017
Mrs S Cafe Rosebush, Highgate 2017
Captivate Capel Capel Butchers façade, Capel 2017

EXHIBITIONS

Collie Mural Trail Artists group exhibition - Collie Art Gallery, Collie 2020

Biodiversity ReVIVAL group exhibition - SHAC CoLab2 Gallery, White Gum Valley 2020

Incubate artist mentoring & group exhibition - SHAC CoLab2 Gallery, White Gum Valley 2020

Pressed Flowers solo exhibition - SHAC CoLab2 Gallery, White Gum Valley 2019

HeArtwalk Artists group exhibition - Black Crow Studios, Kalgoorlie, 2018

Moth Migration Project by Hilary Lorenz - Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre,
Saint Andrews Canada, 2018; 516Arts, Albuquerque NM (USA), 2017

Stand Tall and See group exhibition - Little Wing Corner Gallery, Subiaco, 2015

Young Originals group exhibition - ECU, Mt Lawley, 2013

2013 Annual GATE Exhibition student showcase - Applecross SHS, Ardross, 2008- 2013

COMMUNITY ARTS & ARTS FACILITATION

Applecross Senior High School Gifted & Talented Visual Arts Program (Tutor)
> C-Block Mural (on Campus) with yrs 9-12, Ardross 2020
> Westfield Booragoon West Entrance Murals & Window Wraps
with yrs 8-10 and co-tutor Marney Anderson, Booragoon 2020
Inglewood on Beaufort Woolworths Hoarding Community Painting, Inglewood 2020
Mundaring Arts Centre Mundaring Environmental Art Project Workshop Web Series, (online) 2020
Shire of Augusta Margaret River Youth Advisory Council Lino Printing Live Stream Demo, (online) 2020
City of Melville Still Life Illustration Zoom Workshop, (online) 2020
City of Melville Cleopatra St x Adrian St Sump Fence Community Painting, Melville 2020

City of Melville Kidchella Festival, ‘Spring City’ Collaborative Installation, Attadale 2019
City of Melville Baal St x Marmion St Sump Fence Community Painting, Melville 2019
Bicton Primary School Stage Backdrop, Bicton 2019
SHACtivate! Community Canvas, White Gum Valley 2019
Shire of Capel Youth Week Mural, Dalyellup 2019
Shire of Capel Youth Collective Skate Link Murals, Capel 2019

Merredin College Year 9 Project, Merredin 2018
South Perth Learning Centre x City of South Perth Banners in the Terrace, South Perth 2018

Yidarra Catholic Primary School Classroom Activities, Bateman 2017
Bicton Primary School Classroom Activities, Bicton 2015 - 2017

DESIGN & ILLUSTRATION

Vicinity Centres Midland Gate - shopping centre, 2020

ART ON THE MOVE - arts organisation, 2019
Circus WA - arts organisation, 2019

Grouch & Co - coffee roasters, 2018
Team Dragonfly - fishing competition team, 2018

Forsyth Marine Photography - photographer, 2017-present
Tracey Alexandra - artist, 2017-2019
Salon Express - hairdresser chain, 2017

Allison Read Photography - photographer, 2015
Avenoir Magazine & Loungefly - digital magazine and podcast channel, 2015