Artwork by Erica Miles

Drawing for a Painting

2010-11-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

I've recently created a Facebook page for my creations - not just the stuff I draw and paint but everything that my two hands and one brain create. In an effort to promote that new page I'm giving away a free commissioned watercolor portrait (8x10, 1 subject). In order to enter the online drawing all you have to do is visit my FB page, enter the Discussions tab and follow the instructions there. But hurry because the drawing is on Saturday, November 13th. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Out-of-My-Head-and-Onto-the-Canvas/119724201422420

Little Girl Ballerina

2010-10-27T00:19:00.000-07:00

5x7 watercolor on Bristol paper.

Oranges

2010-10-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

5x7 watercolor on Bristol paper.

Apples In Yellow Bowl

2010-10-27T00:16:00.000-07:00

5x7 watercolor on Bristol paper.

Rachael

2010-09-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

Another little 5x7 watercolor. A loose portrait of my cousins sweet daughter Rachael.

Colors and Shapes

2010-09-24T18:36:00.001-07:00

This is a little 5x7 watercolor on paper. Enjoying the freedom of imagination and expression. My kids asked me, "what is it?" My answer ... "whatever you want it to be."

Playing with charcoal, water and color editing - "Silence"

2010-07-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

I recently watched a portrait artist use powdered charcoal and water to create a portrait. I have yet to truly understand the medium but here is my first attempt with it. 11x14 charcoal and water on Bristol paper. The top image has been modified by the computer to have a blue cast which I felt imbued an added depth of emotion, the bottom is a close-up of the original.

Graphite self-portrait

2010-07-13T12:35:00.001-07:00

A better rendering of my likeness in graphite (pencil). Sketch paper, 8x10.

Sisters

2010-07-06T17:28:00.000-07:00

'Sisters' is a painting I did just for the joy of it. The little angel on the left is a dear family friend. Her photo is circa 1940. Water color on paper, 11x14.

Portrait of a Mother

2010-05-27T14:38:00.001-07:00

8x10 pencil portrait created from one of the only photographs taken of my friend and client's mother who died when my client was a six-year old girl. As with some of my other restoration type work the reference photo was a trick to work with.

Great-great Grandma of dear friend

2010-05-27T14:29:00.001-07:00

This is Nancy McClain, pioneer mother and Great-great (perhaps another "great") Grandmother of my dear friend and client. The only photo of Nancy shows a woman who had endured suffering and heartache. My friend asked me to create a pencil portrait of her grandmother without the hard edge that age and the old photography style created.

President Barack Obama

2010-03-05T14:02:00.001-07:00

President Obama. Graphite on paper, 8x10.

I was seeking to create a very textured work with this piece. The lower image shows the texture created in the thickly layed graphite.

Charlie A.

2010-01-22T16:51:00.001-07:00

This was done for a friend whose husband of more than 60 years passed away on Tuesday. 16x20 graphite on Bristol paper. The bottom image is a close up of the portrait.

Mesa, Arizona Mormon Temple Before Dawn

2010-01-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

This is an impressionistic painting of the Mormon temple in Mesa, Arizona. Oil on canvas, 24x30.

Prints available upon request. Original-unframed $500

Emma with Violin

2010-01-06T11:35:00.002-07:00

Emma with Violin. Oil on canvas board 11x14. First painting of the new year, 2010.
Prints available upon request.

Father and Sons

2009-12-14T23:37:00.000-07:00

This is a recent 8x10 pencil portrait commission. Each subject was taken from a large group family photo and repositioned to create a portrait of only the father and his two sons. A satisfying piece to create.

2009-12-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

It's all about watercolors these days, or so it seems. This is a recently finished watercolor portrait for a new friend and client from the huge state of Texas. Created from three different photographs (yes, there are only two boys). Boy on the right needed separate head and body shots fused together to generate this pose.

The Old Family Home

2009-12-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

My first watercolor landscape done at the request of my dear mother-in-law. It is her childhood home in Northern Idaho. If you've got good eyes you can see the Grand Tetons in the distance.

2009-11-27T09:32:00.000-07:00

This is a small collection of pencil and pencil/charcoal portraits that I put together to show at a boutique where I was a vendor. I was (and am) promoting a $30 pencil portrait special for the holidays. Pass the word along!

Hold On

2009-10-03T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is the wife of an American fallen soldier as her husband's body is returned to it's native soil. He was killed in the line of duty just days after being home for the birth of his first child. It is an 11x14 colored pencil portrait on smooth Bristol paper.
*Just a note to say that somehow this received a blue ribbon at the AZ State Fair. I wasn't finished with it when it was time to take in the entries. I'll finish it and post it when it's done.

2009-09-06T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is a work in progress, just felt like posting something new as I haven't worked much this Summer with all of the kids home. This painting still needs skin tone work and detail but is mostly finished and I am quite happy with it's progress as is my client. I should have the finished product ready to post by the middle of September.

2009-06-30T14:55:00.000-07:00

"Out Of the Ashes" acrylic and oil on stretched canvas, 14x28 inches. This was a very emotional piece for me to paint. It portrays the release from despair.
$400-available

2009-06-04T10:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a graphite portrait on Strathmore Bristol paper, 11x14. The original photo was beautiful but quite a bit of detail was blurred and there was damage from being handled for so many years (scratches and creases). I was pretty happy with the end result and I believe that my client was as well. As you can see from the original posted above the right (his left) side of his head was missing. So I attempted to create an ear and hair line for him as well as adding a little detail that was either missing or very faint in the photo.

2009-05-02T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is a color pencil portrait that I finished "live" at a charity auction benefiting the Child's Play Theater in Tempe, AZ. It is an 11x14 on Strathmore bristol paper.

2009-04-22T08:20:00.000-07:00

Girl With Wings3

This was my third attempt and I am happy with the results. The photo is not as bright as the real thing but you get the idea. The bottom image is the whole thing and the top is a close up of the face.
9x12 watercolor on paper.

2009-04-20T15:25:00.000-07:00

Boy In Grass
9x12
Watercolor on paper

2009-04-20T15:24:00.000-07:00

Girl With Wings
11x14
Colored Pencil on Strathmore Bristol

2009-04-02T11:11:00.000-07:00

This is a commission I did for an old neighbor and friend. This was a drawing done from about 5 different snapshots that included piecing together heads and bodies that weren't originally together. A difficult piece. Graphite/charcoal, 11x14 on paper.

2009-03-31T12:11:00.000-07:00

Having fun with watercolors. This is a card/painting that I made for my sister's birthday. It says, "Sisters are like grapes...they grow together, plump and juicy, and, if they aren't consumed, turn into raisins and get sweeter."

2009-03-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

Graphite and charcoal, 9x12 on paper.

2009-03-11T15:30:00.000-07:00

I did some colored pencil finishing touches on my Sunflower Lady. I fiddled with the colors on the editing page of the computer.
Sunflower Lady. Watercolor on paper approx. 18x24

2009-03-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

This is a recently finished commissioned portrait done from 40-yr-old b/w photos. The subjects were not in the same picture and I was able to play with the composition a little bit. Graphite and charcoal on paper, 16x20. SOLD

2009-03-08T20:29:00.001-07:00

Doris Day. Colored pencil on paper, 8x10. SOLD

2009-03-08T20:27:00.000-07:00

The beautiful Judy Garland. Colored pencil on paper, 8x10. SOLD

2009-03-08T20:25:00.000-07:00

Gene Kelley in the rain. Colored pencil on paper, 8x10. SOLD

Frank Sinatra

2009-03-08T20:23:00.000-07:00

"Ol' Blue Eyes" colored pencil on paper 8x10. SOLD

Four Fabulous Oldies

2009-02-15T18:03:00.001-07:00

Here are four 8x10 colored pencil portraits I did on commission. They are done with Prismacolor colored pencils. I really enjoyed this medium as it is very near to graphite pencil but there wasn't much room for error considering you can't erase much of a wax based color. Here we have Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Doris Day and Gene Kelly in the rain.

Untitled

2009-01-17T17:07:00.000-07:00

11x14 watercolor on paper. Extremely difficult medium for this figure. This woman reminded me of paintings of the Virgin Mary and yet her dark skin was such a contrast to that image.

Emma w/Headscarf

2009-01-15T13:25:00.000-07:00

This portrait is 8x10 graphite and charcoal on paper. The subject is my daughter Emma dressed up in an old Japanese scarf. Look at those eyes!

Emma w/Headscarf

2009-01-15T13:22:00.001-07:00

You can see that I have added quite a lot of detail. The eyes are the most important part of the picture so I wanted to get them right. When I was pretty sure of them I added charcoal over the pencil to get the deeper black.

African Woman In Headscarf

2008-12-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

Watercolor on paper. Approx. 12x14 inches.

Endurance

2008-12-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

This watercolor was given to my mother for her 60th birthday. I had a lot of fun painting it and learned a lot. It now resides in my parents bedroom.

Struggle

2008-12-19T14:57:00.000-07:00

This piece was entered in the Arizona Ameteur Fine Arts competition. It won an Honorable Mention and was purchased. Oil on stretched canvas, 16x20.

Power and Peace

2008-12-19T14:52:00.000-07:00

When I saw this arm on an unlikely subject I was compelled to paint it. This is water color on paper, approximately 8x24.

Looking

2008-12-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

This is my most recent painting. I only used two colors of oil in this painting. Another try at simplifying while I learn the craft. Painted on canvasboard, 16x20 inches.

Waiting

2008-12-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

Another portrait of my oldest daughter. The whole drawing is actually 18x24 (the matte is hiding some).

Untitled

2008-12-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

This is a 16"x20" portrait using a picure of my oldest daughter but without any real effort to make it look like her. I was just enjoying the experience.

Nourishment

2008-12-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

Still life, 9x12 on canvasboard.

Reflection

2008-12-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

I was really struggling to begin a painting and felt like I was trying too hard, thinking about it more than was helpful. This was the result of me just picking up the paints and brushes and "playing" with them.

2008-12-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

A little fun at the kitchen table. Our Wal-Mart tea kettle.

2008-12-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Another page out of my sketchbook. These are a couple of centenarians from another old issue of National Geographic. I love deep expressions, they tell a story I'd love to hear.

2008-12-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

These are two images that I found in an old National Geographic. Super fun to draw. A picture with lots of contrast makes the best black and white drawing.

2008-12-18T12:31:00.000-07:00

I never felt really done with this painting but this is as far as it got. It now hangs in my kitchen until a new home can be found.

2008-12-18T12:23:00.001-07:00

The is a portrait in the making. My first "real" oil painting. What fun I have had exploring this medium!