Born in Co. Antrim, Northern Ireland in 1965, I studied art until I left school at 16 to begin my working life. After a variety of positions I went back to part time education to retrain for a career in other fields, as I felt I had become trapped in the 9 to 5 routine of "normal" life.
Never one to remain still for long, I began to reinvent myself. I decided that I wanted more challenges in life and started channelling my energies in other areas. I returned to education to study art and psychology. Then decided to shift my interests towards sociology instead of art.
Thankfully, I turned back to art about 25 years ago and have never looked back. Originally working in watercolours, then progressing to acrylics for more flexibility to mould with my imagination. Nowadays I also create sculptures in wood and metal.
My passions for travel and art have been constant companions for many years. My art fuses elements of Americana and European surrealism with aspects of Irish figuratism and the viewer may readily discern the influences of Hopper, Dali, De Chirico, Magritte and Markey in my work.
I live in southern Spain and my 'Mediterranean' palette brings warmth to the quiet places I so joyously celebrate. There tend to be few figures in my paintings as I prefer to offer uncluttered landscapes into which the viewer may place themselves
Limited edition prints of my work are readily available in many gift shops and stores worldwide, while my original paintings are now in private collections in Ireland, UK, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Serbia, Russia, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, Mongolia, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada, Mexico and the USA, as well as corporate and public collections in Europe. In fact, given that my collectors are spread so far and wide around the globe, it is safe to say that the sun never truly sets on the imagination and artworks of TJ Miles.