Artist Interview: Justin Miller, The Knotty Carver LLC

Hands down, my favorite thing about art is the variety. Everyone has their own individual taste in art, and no two artists’ work is alike, even those that work with the same mediums and subject matter! So let’s learn about each other and share our artwork with each other as often as we can. 😊
My first Artist Interview blog post features the work of the Knotty Carver, Justin Miller!

All photos in this blog post were provided by Justin Miller.

Miller is a wood worker from Canby, Minnesota. In his words, “I usually like to do one of a kind and/or custom designed furniture to fit the customers’ needs.” Since the main component of his art is wood, the pieces are quite literally one-of-a-kind originals! He can fill in the gaps and holes with resin, sometimes tinted, with items embedded, or clear like glass.

It's too beautiful to even make a joke here!

“I feel my work is unique,” says Miller. “Done with care so it can be a wonderful conversation starter for years to come.” He’s currently working on a custom end table that is made of a slab of wood from a pine tree that had been twisted by a tornado. As if that wasn’t enough, Miller will be adding two more shelves to it for a laptop and other miscellaneous items. His plan for the top is to pour resin on each side with the wood slab in the middle. The resin will be colored with chameleon mica powder (that’s what gives it the swirly, metallic shimmer), in plum and gold color. But tables aren’t the only thing Miller creates. Below is a clock he made out of black walnut wood with a tiger orange resin.

What time is it? Hopefully naptime.

I asked Miller what his favorite tool for making art was. “Honestly it would be my sawmill,” Miller said. “I like the surprise of cutting a slab and seeing what the tree can provide in its aged lines along with the burl-like looks from the stress the branches have endured over the years.”

His favorite piece he’s made so far, and one of his most popular, is a chess table made out of pinecones. “I really love how the pinecones just pop out in the ever-so-clear resin, when you look at it on the sides you get a 3D look that kinda teases your eyes.”

It’s clear to see □ why this is a favorite, it’s absolutely stunning!

Miller is self- taught, combining his lessons and training from a number of different trades, people, mentors, and family, into what he calls “a great recipe I’ve applied to my artwork.” His advice for artists just beginning their journey? “Don't give up! Keep creating, keep going, don't be afraid to be different! Get yourself out there!” He says he learned from his failures, while knowing it’s alright to fail. “You NEVER fail by trying.”

His next project is building another framed mirror with a design he created on his CNC (computer numerical control) router program, with glow in the dark resin poured into the fixtures, topped off with a layer of resin to really draw out the wood grain.

This is a-meow-zing!

I also asked Miller what an issue is that he’s encountered with his artwork, since every artist has their own stumbling blocks to overcome. “The COLD! Resin Casting has to be poured in a warm environment for it to cure properly,” he said. “Also being new to the business, it is slow progressing. Getting my artwork out there into this world is proving to be hard. (But I will prevail!)”

To see Miller’s new work or to get in contact with him about your very own beautiful commission, you can find the Knotty Carver on Facebook at Facebook.com/JustinTheKnottyCarver.