Andrew Millner has drawn by hand the outline of each leaf of the kousa dogwood (Cornus kousa) on a digital tablet, recreating the repetitive, but never identical, shapes found in nature. His use of vector (as opposed to pixel) technology allows him to work on an enormous scale, drawing each leaf in enlarged dimensions, and then shrinking the image so that the details appear minute. The computer not only allows Millner to manipulate the scale of the work, but it also allows him to incorporate vast amounts of information without losing any detail. He works from hundreds of photographs to exact every visible area of the tree and to incorporate views from various vantage points. This multiview approach yields almost scientific precision in the work, while also creating an essentially artificial perspective of the tree. By working strictly linearly and monochromatically, Millner embraces the surreal aspect of the medium, ultimately removing the subject from any sense of depth or surrounding. He places the dogwood in an otherworldly context, while at the same time basing its shapes on a systematically precise reality. The title of the work also grounds the piece scientifically; it documents the tree’s precise geographical location.

Millner has been exploring leaf forms and other botanical shapes for about nine years, and he began working digitally three years ago. He has exhibited widely with solo exhibitions at the Richard Levy Gallery, Albuquerque, NM; the Center for Contemporary Arts, Santa Fe, NM; Tria Gallery, New York, NY; David Flora Gallery, Aspen, CO; William Shearburn Gallery, St. Louis, MO; and the Sheldon Art Gallery, St. Louis, MO, among others. His group exhibitions include Collectors Contemporary, Singapore; Gallery 210, St. Louis, MO; Julie Baker Gallery, Nevada City, CA; Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis, MO; and Phil Slein Gallery, St. Louis, MO. Millner earned his BFA from the University of Michigan.

More information can be found at: http://www.andrewmillner.com/