ANN BALAAM MILLER

Always interested in written forms and painting. It's natural to deconstruct the literal and reassemble it. Everyone is a translator. We have history at our fingertips when we study world scripts, revealing perspective on the history of civilization.

Fresh insight into lettering and sign/symbol design appeared in André Gürtler's grid system teaching method. It is an easily teachable and reliable system for developing rhythm and spacing, the perfect foundational skeleton for written design, where math meets muscle. I enjoy teaching this method to students.

When painting, I watch the development of form, color, sequence, mutability. I want to examine my thought process, find what is new, be surprised at the connections that happen. The work is often abstract and structural, weaving together gesture, ancient, modern, and invented signs and symbols, and calligraphic and painterly experience. I enjoy the quality of line, insinuating and defining space, playing with balance and force and interaction of color, and entering an energetic visual world.

Background

STUDY

1960-65—Stanford University, BA and MA in Fine Art – Painting and Lithography—with Nathan Oliveira, Richard Diebenkorn, George Miyasaki, Frank Lobdell, Dan Mendelowitz
1984-present—Independent calligraphy studies – Brody Neuenschwander, Ward Dunham, Sheila Waters, Denis Brown, Carl Rohrs, Jacqueline Svaren, Charles Pearce, Newberry Library Historian Robert Williams, Yves Leterme, Thomas Ingmire, Jovica Veljovic, Liesbet Boudens, Julian Waters

CURRENT

Instructor: Academy of Art University — 2002 to present.  Author of three classes: Calligraphy and Letterform, Advanced Calligraphy, & Logo, Font, and Lettering for Illustrators
Instructor: San Francisco Center for the Book — 2014 to present (click to open workshop list PDF)
Instructor: Stanford Continuing Studies — Fall 2021 to present
Former instructor at Santa Clara University, University of Nevada - Reno, and Community Colleges of San Mateo
Owner: Ann Miller Calligraphy and M2 Design - freelance calligraphy, illustration and graphic design for corporate and private clients.

RECENT EXHIBITIONS

Avenue 25 Gallery - Solo Exhibition of current paintings, San Mateo, 2019
Kalligraphia XV, Friends of Calligraphy Exhibition, 2018
Silicon Valley Open Studios – May 2018
Silicon Valley Open Studios, 2016
Kalligraphia XIV, Friends of Calligraphy Exhibition, 2015
Kalligraphia XII, Friends of Calligraphy Exhibition, 2012
International Calligraphy Conference Faculty Exhibit, Sonoma State University, 2015
San Mateo Public Library, Retrospective Book Arts Exhibit (book titles & illustration), 2009
Book Design Exhibit, Green Library, Stanford University, 2007
Letterpress Titling Exhibit, Antiquarian Book Fair, San Francisco, 2007
Kalligraphia X, Friends of Calligraphy Exhibition, 2006
Stanford University Group Exhibition, 2004

Permanent collection, San Francisco Main Library, Rare Book Room, 6th floor
Permanent collection, Stanford University
Private collections

PUBLICATIONS

The Art of Language (published by The Lonely Planet, 2019)
Letter Arts Review
Bound & Lettered
Alphabet
StanfordAlumni Magazine

AFFILIATIONS

Friends of Calligraphy . Pacific Scribes . Stanford Alumni Association . San Mateo Chamber of Commerce
Academy of Art University . San Francisco Center for the Book . Stanford University Continuing Studies Program

CLIENTS

Agilent Technologies . ARC Document Solutions . Artefact Design . Belmont Library . Borel Private Bank . California Milk Advisory Board . Canadian Consulate . City of Belmont . Culture Frozen Yogurt . Draegers Markets . EASA Architecture . Emergence Capital . Emerson Collective . Exelon . Foundation Capital . Franklin Templeton . George IV Productions . Gilead Sciences . Hewlett-Packard . IMMA Ltd . InfoSeek . Intuit . Katipco International . Linus Pauling Institute . Living Stones Foundation . Lucile Packard Foundation . Marconi Society . Mills Peninsula Foundation . Neural ID . Oracle . Parallax Press . Protean Press . Robert Half International . San Mateo Police Department . Saint Matthews Episcopal . Shea & Associates . Sherman Clay . Silicon Graphics . Sun Microsystems . Stanford University Departments: Athletics Department, Biodesign Program, Planned Giving, Education, Medical Development, Hand Surgery Center, & School of Engineering . Steele Communications . TeleSoft Partners . Trinity Ventures . Wall-To-Wall USA . Wells Fargo Bank . Women Corporate Directors . Woodside Fund . Zen Hospice . 1929 Productions