Art doesn’t imitate life, art is life. It takes the most complicated, spectral, changing emotions from everyday life and freezes them into an instant, a snapshot that endures the test of time. Reflectionists like renowned painter JD Miller channel the energies around them and use art to describe these ineffable feelings. On April 22nd, Miller opened up his creative space to the patrons of Jesuit artwork and faculty who inspire students to create such intricate masterpieces in their futures. With the unveiling of his newest painting dedicated to the school and an evening geared specifically to lovers of the arts, ArtQuest set the tone for a night filled with creativity and friendship.
JD Miller and Dallas entrepreneurial giant Philip Romano co-founded Samuel Lynne Galleries in 2008. Romano’s son is Sam and JD’s daughter is Lynne, so together their families make up the name of the gallery Samuel Lynne! The 2016 ArtQuest integrated a large student presence, seamlessly blending the Jesuit student involvement with the arts with the masterful paintings in the same way the Jesuit museum interacts with daily student life. Musicians from the school provided ambient music as guests floated through the exhibit, and this year’s Andrew Bark scholarship recipient Raphael Anguiano ’16 received the prestigious pleasure of displaying his ceramics next to the Miller’s newest piece. The gallery also offered a unique look into the life of a creative artist such as JD miller, the studio Miller and his wife and fellow abstract artist Lea Fisher share creating an environment filled with innovation and vibrant colors.
Miller’s connection to the Jesuit museum has always remained strong, his work actually first displayed in the school’s halls. In college, JD focused on ceramics and music, his early influences reflected in the entertainment filling Sam Lynne Gallery. After beginnings his career as a painter masterfully capturing nature and flora, JD Miller drew inspiration from Walt Disney’s colors and the work of the impressionists, shifting his artwork towards the abstract work which remains so famous today. His style of artwork resembles fellow Impressionist Leroy Neiman, whose landscape of football players hangs at the crossroads between the Hall of Honors and Athletic Tower. Miller’s artwork filled with gripping colors and 3D elements in his artwork evokes a rare form of synesthesia, allowing human emotions to be visually represented on the canvas.
Claire Ward, docent and member of the Board of Trustees, worked with Miller when he created original artwork for the school, previewing his two masterpieces a week before the event and helping select which piece best reflected the Jesuit experience. The chosen painting, entitled “Stairway to Heaven,” evokes a sense of simultaneous distance and intimate understanding, and Ward described the reactions to the work as “each student will uniquely experience the painting based on their own perspective as we all do with all art. I saw all lot of energy and the color blue which reflects the school when the boys are changing classes. It reminded me of steel construction framework as my father was an architect.’” Reminiscent of the Terry Center stained glass window with its distinctive cross shape and gripping colors on a muted concrete background, JD Miller’s newest masterpiece promises to engage the creativity of audiences for decades to come.
Since the Jesuit art museum is a nonprofit organization, fundraisers like ArtQuest help the school “maintain the collection, add art to the collection and art programming and events that engage the Jesuit community and beyond such as the Ground Zero 360 exhibit.” Donations received from these events have allowed the Jesuit art museum to start programs like the docents which “[give] tours of art pre-selected by the Jesuit teachers of various academic subjects to underscore a topic of learning or interest in their curriculum.” Docent-led groups have worked with classes in the art department, Theology, French, Spanish, English and History. Through these tours, students have been able to interact with the art through unique projects like creating their own Dali dream sequences, synthesizing assigned readings with pieces in the museum, and used the pieces on display as a conduit to understand history better.
The proceeds from ArtQuest also go towards the Andrew Bark ’98 Scholarship, an award 
given at junior convocation to the rising senior who excels in visual arts of any medium. Mrs. Ward emphasized the importance of scholarships such as these, elaborating, “I think it is important to encourage young male students to make art because they are not always so encouraged to endeavor in art.” Several pieces in the Dallas Museum actually were created by alumni who are professional artists as well as several Jesuits. Overall, Ward was thrilled with the turnout and offered her gratitude to everyone involved concluding “The event went smooth as glass, and I felt blessed to enjoy the event with other art aficionados.”
As famous French Impressionist and fellow lover of nature Claude Monet advised, “It’s on the strength of observation and reflection that one finds a way. So we must dig and delve unceasingly.” ArtQuest 2016 celebrated the cutting edge of creative innovation, gathering together the members of the community most attuned to art’s impact. Special thanks to Claire Ward, Elizabeth Hunt Blanc, JD Miller, and everyone who made this event such a success!
