DUSTY MILLER

D C Miller - David but known on the canal as Dusty!

Born Wimbledon, Surrey in 1941

I trained under George Mackley RE, one of the finest British wood engravers of the twentieth century and at Sutton and Cheam School of Art and Crafts before being employed in a West End, London advertising studio as a photographic retouching artist and airbrush illustrator, both commercial art skills now virtually superseded by computer technology, whose clients included Ford, Saxone, BP, Beechams, Bass, International Harvester and Gala.

Always having a fascination for water- usually as a small child being involuntary in it!- I developed an interest in waterways during canoeing holidays with scouts on the River Wey. This led to hiring converted ex-working narrow boats and exploring the Midland canal system. At this time British Waterways still had considerable numbers of craft at work, carrying coal, steel, wheat and many other commodities. Other working boats included the fleets of Willow Wren and Samuel Barlow. The interest in waterways developed into a passionate love of these craft and the boatmanÕs unique way of life with a desire to record as much as possible with brush and paint.

In the early 70's I moved to Staffordshire to live aboard and to run a floating studio on a pair of boats, painting, producing pottery and decorating boats with signwriting and traditional roses and castle designs. Moving to a lock side cottage in the Stratford area I continued until becoming the manager of a hire boat fleet and boat building company. I returned to advertising as a studio manager for a local design house until continuing as a self employed artist.

I now paint full time, mainly in oils on canvas, accurately recreating many of the scenes remembered back in the last days of commercial carrying although I am happy with other subjects including racing cars, trains, landscapes, animals and the occasional portrait. My many commissions include the illustrations and jacket for the well-known waterway book "Ramlin Rose" and the covers of M&M Baldwin's popular "Working Waterways' series", while paintings hang in private and corporate collections in Britain, on the Continent and as far away as the United States and Australia.

As a member of the Guild of Waterway Artists I exhibit at many of the larger National boat shows. Many of the summer months are spent boating aboard "NB Foreward" armed with a camera, compiling a reference library and recording the remaining historical buildings, boats and artifacts that are being destroyed or redeveloped.

I've participated on voluntary working parties on various canals and am active within the Stratford-upon-Avon Canal Society having at various times been Chairman.

I'm also Chairman of a Stratford based charity that provides narrowboat holidays for young people, the disabled and underprivileged.