New Work: Catie Miller, Summer 2026

Learn more about the artist: Catie Miller

Available online Friday at 10:00am CST, Date TBD

Catie Miller's work is recognized for its bright colors, playful patterning, and unique approach to traditional tableware. She infuses everyday routines with vibrancy, creating comfort through the objects we choose to surround ourselves with. Simplified, graphic depictions of realism paired with symbolic patterning- ranging from the obscure to the obvious- result in full, engaging compositions. Catie captures small movements and memories that bring her happiness, often with humor. Inspired by her boys' everyday joys, like catching minnows or gathering worms, she's drawn to the way simple experiences can spark different memories and feelings in others. Her work also incorporates re-contextualized florals inspired by gardening, the joy of birdwatching, and memoires of family pheasant hunting trips. 

These personal moments evolve in shared human experiences when they find their way into someone else's home. Through her illustrations, Catie aims to remind people of the beauty, nostalgia, and connection found in everyday life. That sense of overlap in human experience- and the stories people bring to her work- continues to fuel her creativity in the studio. 

Making style: I used a technique involving slip-covered newsprint to transfer my drawings onto clay, blending my interests in drawing, printmaking, painting, and ceramics. I begin by screen printing my illustrations with underglaze "ink" onto newsprint, then fill the imagery with colored slips, working from foreground to background. The paper is pressed onto the clay surface creating a one-time monoprint transfer. As the paper is removed, fragments of the image, folds, and wrinkles are left behind, giving the work a weathered quality against the red clay. I'm drawn to the spontaneity of these imperfections and the way they reveal traces of the making process. The majolica glaze covering the inside of the mug is sensitive to extreme temperature shifts. The thermal shock can cause stress to the low-fire clay/glaze combo and lead to cracking so I don't recommend pouring boiling water in the mugs for tea drinkers.