The Millen Tells His Tale

On Wednesday night I visited the Island Arts Centre to see the Tim Millen exhibition. You may know the fella as well-respected musician, who has worked with the likes of the Amazing Pilots, Burning Codes, Peter Wilson and more. He's also the artist who came up with the images that have graced a number of Duke Special albums and videos. As I recall, he also took the photos that turned up on a Brian Houston album. I've probably missed a score of other music connections.

Yet all of these things are secondary to his vocation as a fine artist. I've seen individual pieces before, but his 'Folk Tale' collection was something to witness. He plainly likes his big skies, either vivid or luminous and a little reminiscent of Paul Henry. In most of the images, we see nature in some attractive array. But there is generally a human presence there also - a scrappy tree house, a writer's hut, some graffiti or a curious mask. The people seem transient and a little pathetic. To quote from that old Native American line, the earth only endures.