R. A. Miller, Peter Mars - Rare Collaborative Art, 1992, Oil Stick, Silkscreen
Item History & Price
Peter Mars has been a fixture in the Chicago Pop Art scene since the early 1990's and from time to time he collaborated with outsider folk artists, including R. A. Miller. Both artists are searchable online by name. Mars' Mars Gallery in Chciago recently closed its doors, however the gallery continues in an online capacity at marsgallery(dot)com.
This particular painting is one of those collaborations, and quite rare. I spoke to Peter Mars about it and remember him telling me that h...e used his silkscreen technique to create the background, which includes "Lucky Strike" pack imagery and also the "14K" engagement ring (both were frequently used in his other artworks) and then shipped it to R. A. Miller who then added the Uncle Sam with watermelon and dinosaur (again, both images are common to his paintings. The"Blow Oscar" phrase is also common; it seems that his friend and neighbor Oscar drove a semi tractor trailer and blew his truck horn as he drove by Miller's farmhouse. The Lord Love You phrase is another commonality to many of Miller's naive folk paintings.)
The painting is signed by both of the highly collectable artists in the lower left-hand corner of the painting.
Peter Mars constructed the box cherry wood frame after Miller shipped it back to him.
This particular painting is one of those collaborations, and quite rare. I spoke to Peter Mars about it and remember him telling me that h...e used his silkscreen technique to create the background, which includes "Lucky Strike" pack imagery and also the "14K" engagement ring (both were frequently used in his other artworks) and then shipped it to R. A. Miller who then added the Uncle Sam with watermelon and dinosaur (again, both images are common to his paintings. The"Blow Oscar" phrase is also common; it seems that his friend and neighbor Oscar drove a semi tractor trailer and blew his truck horn as he drove by Miller's farmhouse. The Lord Love You phrase is another commonality to many of Miller's naive folk paintings.)
The painting is signed by both of the highly collectable artists in the lower left-hand corner of the painting.
Peter Mars constructed the box cherry wood frame after Miller shipped it back to him.
