Portrait of Bruce Heiser
Lewis Miller
- Sitter: Bruce Heiser
- Medium: Oil on Linen
- Dimensions: 92cm x 137cm
- Representation: Philip Bacon Galleries
About the artwork
Art dealer, valuer and researcher, Bruce Heiser is known best for his generosity and advocacy for the Brisbane arts community. Artist Lewis Miller received a call from Heiser out of the blue in 2004, inviting him to exhibit at Heiser Gallery. The two have been close friends ever since.
This portrait began as a drawing, a gift of thanks, before being transformed into a large scale oil painting. Painted completely from life over the course of an intensive weekend, the work is bathed in the distinctive violet light that falls through Miller’s south facing studio windows. Heiser sits cross legged and alert, a cup of tea held out in front of him, a familiar pose Miller has come to know well over recent years. His gaze is direct and serious, but the warmth and understanding between these two men is unmistakable.
About the artist
Born in Melbourne in 1959, Lewis Miller studied at the Victorian College of the Arts. A figurative painter, he came to national prominence after winning the 1998 Archibald Prize and has since been featured in the Archibald a further eighteen times. Represented in Brisbane for over twenty years and currently with Philip Bacon Galleries, his work is held in public and private collections across Australia.
