Michael Paul Miller

For the month of February, Russo Lee Gallery exhibits In Search of Cascadia by Michael Paul Miller. This exhibition explores the sublimity of existence within dystopian environments shaped by disaster and destruction while retaining subtle indications of awe and hope. Miller’s practice is driven by a fascination with perseverance, which he views as both noble and suspect when survival unfolds along perilous paths with uncertain or bleak outcomes. Often described as imagined realism, Miller’s imagery is altered, conflated, and re-contextualized from firsthand observation, photographic reference, and invention, then realized through traditional hand-applied mediums refined over an extended studio process.

Michael Paul Miller received a B.F.A. in Painting and Graphic Communications from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and a M.A. and M.F.A. in Painting from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Miller resides on the Olympic Peninsula, where he is a Professor of Art at Peninsula College. Academic Awards/Honors include the Peninsula College Sabbatical Award, Exceptional Faculty Award, UW Candidate for the Dedalus Foundation, and the UWO Chancellor’s Merritt Award. Miller’s paintings have been exhibited in noteworthy galleries and museums across the United States including the Museum of Northwest Art, Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, Coos Art Museum, The Museum of Wisconsin Art, The Seattle Art Museum Gallery, and Denise Bibro Fine Art, Inc. His works were selected for publications that include The Seattle Times, Fine Art Connoisseur’s Fine Art Today, art ltd., and Studio Visit Magazine. His awards include a GAP Award from Artist Trust, Best Artwork in Crosscurrents, and Second Place in the Washington state juried CVG Show. Miller’s work is in the WA State Art Collection, Seattle Public Utilities Portable Works Collection, and the Oregon Health & Science University Collection.

In Search of Cascadia

February 5 – 28, 2026

Press Release