Ruth McMillin began working as a water media artist in the 1990’s, first studying with teacher and artist Dorcas Moulton, then with John Finger, Mira White, Tara Lyons, Jane Fisher and several other SF Bay Area artists and teachers. Her explorations in water media include subjects such as landscapes, seascapes, florals, portraits, still life and abstracts. Many of her works are full of color, and some are described as expressionistic.
Often, her artwork recalls events from her life. Her son, her pets, her garden and her cooking have all been subjects. In some of her work one can see the influence of the works of Cezanne, F. A. Bischoff, and Sargent. Her love of painting was sparked early on by appreciation of works by Motherwell and Roy DeForest. The artist’s early paintings were done in watercolor, many of which are either privately owned or currently on display in public venues, but McMillin also uses acrylic on canvas and paper, as well as soft pastels. In 2016, curiosity led the artist to explore figurative sculpture, using the incredible medium of clay. Recent works have been and are exhibited in the Contra Costa area.
California public venues have included ProArts Oakland at Jack London Square, Sacramento County Fair, Valley Art Gallery, Village Art Gallery, Gualala Arts Center, Artists Co-op of Mendocino, the Blackhawk Gallery, the Lindsay Dirkx Brown Art Gallery in San Ramon, Forest & Ocean Gallery in Laguna Beach, the Pleasant Hill Central Library, Pleasant Hill Senior Center, the aRt Cottage in Concord, and the John Muir Aspen Surgical Center in Walnut Creek, as well as online venues such as DailyBrushWork.com, ArtworkArchive.com, and others available by a Google search.
