Noel G. Miles

A Lifetime’s Work:

The Watercolors of Noel G. Miles

            Born in 1936, Noel G. Miles was raised and still resides in Philadelphia, Pa.  As a child he remembers what he calls urban removal and renewal.  “I felt I was witnessing the beginning of American style; which I thought of as the beginning of civilization.  I was so impressed with all the interesting buildings that were being developed in Philadelphia.  For me, architecture epitomizes the totality of how people live,” he says.

Miles belongs to the old school of “pleine aire” artists (meaning to work outside).  Whether it’s in front of City Hall or some obscure building, you can easily spot him sitting on his stool with his drawing board, pencils and watercolors, recreating what he considers to be another architectural wonder.  “I am drawn to certain buildings by a feeling I get in my gut.  As I begin to make closer observations, I am drawn into all the details and colorations” Miles explains.  If weather conditions deter him from working outside, he continues his pieces from memory in his studio.

Crowds of people who pass by and bombard him with questions and comments are another deterrent.. Miles finds it difficult to not engage in conversation since the majority of his success has come from private sales.  He feels you never know who your next customer could be.  “My pictures ring true to people.  I think when you remain honest to your vision and love of creating art, people can’t help but feel it.  It’s more than just an accurate rendering of columns and windows; it’s an extension of my own emotional history that merges with architectural history.  Many times the feelings can be dark; other times it’s sensual” Miles says.  People are often impressed by the fact that he has rendered a building to life; one they may have noticed but paid little attention to.

Miles knew very early on, that watercolor was his medium.  He has never been impressed by what the art world considers “in”.  Even more so today, he realizes the value of having been true to himself.  “Whoever I wanted to be in my painting, I was.  That can sometimes take you away from popular interest and demand.  My work is not reminiscent of any other artist’s.  I can never be anyone except who I am.”

            With a long list of credentials and clientele, Miles is most proud that Prince Charles has one of his Philadelphia watercolors in his collection.  Also, The State Department Of Economic Development And Tourism will be publishing a book of his Philadelphia watercolors, a lifetime’s work, due for distribution sometime in 2010.  He collaborated with the city for the 100^th birthday of City Hall and they published “The Splendors Of City Hall: An Artist’s View-The Art Of Noel G. Miles.  In 2000, the Republican National Convention commissioned him for their official poster along with a portfolio of his city watercolors as a gift for their conventioneers.

           Miles has been a member of the American Watercolor Society for most of his life, and is affiliated with the Philadelphia Watercolor Society.  He can be reached at:  215-665-8546, or by email at Noelgmiles@verizon.net