Meet Forrest Miller | Painter, Court Sketch Artist & Caterer-server

We had the good fortune of connecting with Forrest Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Forrest, what habits do you feel helped you succeed?
Around 10 years ago on New Year’s Eve my PlayStation broke completely. I grew up playing a lot of video games like everybody else but instead of buying a new system I decided it was my New Year’s resolution to quit video games. That was a huge step in my dedication to my career and development as an artist. Almost everyday I wake up and get to painting and it’s not a choice, it’s who I am now.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My art has always been realistic. I’ve always loved drawing or painting portraits because they are the most challenging but I’ve painted everything from planets or nebulae in space to the beautiful forests of Michigan. In the past two years I’ve become a court sketch artist and it’s been a wild ride. My first opportunity was the Governor Whitmer kidnapping trial in Grand Rapids, Michigan. It was a lot of pressure at first but the trial was long so I was able to improve over time. I am definitely interested in doing court sketches as much as possible. The trials can be very sad at times but I enjoy the adrenaline rush of having to draw under pressure with very little time.
The main thing I would like the world to know is that I’m an extremely confident artist and I’m open to all commissions. I can make you an oil painting, pastel drawing or pencil drawing in any subject matter. I would love to create something that you can put on your wall that will bring you joy or peace.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well Grand Rapids is a beautiful city with a lot of great restaurants. The most important place you should visit is the B.O.B. They have two restaurants. On the second floor is Bobarinos where you can get amazing wood fired pizzas and on the first floor is Bobs Brewery featuring some of the best pulled pork, great salads and appetizers. They also have the best comedy club in the city featuring some of the greatest comics in the country as well as a nightclub called Eve on the top floor overlooking Grand Rapids. It is the place to be on the weekends

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My parents are both college teachers so at a very young age they introduced me to Art history and all the masters of the Renaissance to Impressionism. Every vacation we would go see amazing art museums. I’ve been so lucky to see the Metropolitan museum in New York, the Philadelphia museum of Art and many more throughout the country. Seeing all this artwork in person was a huge motivation for me and it set a standard of quality in my own work.

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