Glenna Mills
Artist Bio
Born in Idaho, I never got the dust out of my shoes. As the ditches filled with water in the spring and summer, I’d dangle my feet to feel the slime between my toes. One day I grew up and took the mud and made a creature that no one had ever seen before. This was the beginning of my career in ceramic sculpture. I went off to the University of Minnesota and earned an MFA in art, which led me to painting, filmmaking, and photography.
I entered competitions, filled the auditorium at Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, had a film placed in the Belgium Archives, showed my work in galleries, and traveled to gather more images. I settled down to one form of art, clay sculptures. Those creatures that I first felt and then created became my signature. As one example of my creative response to world events, when the war started in Iraq, the sculpture I was working on blew its head off and exposed the bloodied ribs below. How appropriate, I thought. I then made thin, softened bodies of those who had died in the explosion and had them crawl out the neck. Clay showed me devastating defeat, love, magic, and the abnormalities we witness in our lives.
In 2021, we moved to a smaller place, which had a wide open garage, and room to expand into another area of art. I had collected, over many years, photographs which I had begun to transform into paintings by creating distortions and adding other images, as well as color and scribbles. I decided to enlarge the end product. Using canvas as a backing to the images, I was able to continue the alterations in the photographs. Painting!
I had a new project and it was so fast. In no time, I began painting with acrylics.
Quote from article, https://www.see.me/creators/glennamills
"Glenna Mills, a remarkable artist with a unique and captivating approach to her work, has ventured through a creative journey as diverse and rich as her imagination. She delved into film, photography, and sculpture. " Each exploration brought out a storyline that brought out a mystery in the eyes of the beholder. One competition in film led to an acquisition by the Belgium Film Archives. Numerous exhibitions art sales and participation in organizations like See/Me helped to showcase her work to the public.
"Fueled by an unceasing well of creative energy, Glenna also explored the world of voiceover and became a part of a group that recorded stories for children, showcasing her versatility in the realm of art."
When not working in her studio, you could find her at her computer either writing or manipulating photographs she had collected over the years. Her storytelling led her to write a play, NIGHTS LIKE THESE, which was produced in a venue in Berkeley, California in the 90s.
During the pandemic, Glenna accumulated many photographs which she partially abstracted by way of her computer, turning black and white photos into colored renditions of a personality. After the pandemic, she decided to transfer these images onto canvas She was then able to work on large canvases, which breathed fresh life onto her subjects.
In conclusion, Glenna Mills' journey in the art world is a testament to the transformative power of creativity.