Judy Miller's Biography

“A thing of beauty is a joy forever:
It's loveliness increases; it will never
Pass into nothingness…”
John Keats

In 1970, while working toward a painting degree at UC Berkeley, I got my first apartment. Needing dishes, I went to the ceramic studio, and drew scenes from my life. They were an instant success. I began making plates in earnest, a career path that has been my absolute pleasure.

The drawings on my plates, teapots and vases express those precious and intimate every day moments that we experience (or hope to!) with our partners, our pets, or ourselves. Through the simplicity of line and sensuousness of form, I capture a moment in time that invites the viewer to complete the story from their own sense of fantasy.

Each piece is carefully made by hand in my studio in Santa Cruz, CA. The process is slow and intricate due to the degree of detail and the attention given to each finished piece. The heartfelt appreciation and personal anecdotes my collectors share enrich my life, knowing my vision brings joy to so many.

In 2006 I began a new adventure of expressing myself as a pastel painter. What I love about painting is that it demands that I see the world with much more intensity, passion, clarity and beauty than I ever would in my normal existence. Capturing the essence of a landscape in the continually changing weather and light, or in the studio, is a task both formidable and exhilarating. In the past few years I have graciously been given the experience of travel to Italy, France, Israel, Egypt and Greece, as well as the American Southwest and our own lovely Santa Cruz County. Absorbing the different colors and textures and expressing them in the luscious palette of pastels has been gratifying and enlivening.

Being able to slow down and see life through a painter’s eye is a gift to myself, and through my paintings, I hope a gift to you.

1971 BA painting, UC Berkeley

1972-2002
Full time career as a ceramic artist selling my work all across North America.

Permanent Collection
Tai Pei Fine Arts Museum, Taiwan

Public Installations
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, CA
Kaiser Hospital, San Jose, CA
Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA

2007 shows
Plein Air Affaire, Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
Plein Air artists respond to the Boardwalk, Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA
Solo show, Santa Cruz County Bank, Capitola, CA
Santa Cruz County Open Studio Tour
National Figurative Exhibit, Santa Cruz Art League, Santa Cruz, CA
Group show, Many Hands Gallery, Capitola, CA

2008
Cedar Creek National Teapot Show VI, Creedmore, North Carolina, Invitational
Solo show, Santa Cruz Government Center, Santa Cruz, CA
Plein Air Affaire, Museum of Art and History, Santa Cruz, CA, Invited artist