Reuben A. Miller was raised in rural Georgia, on the land where he was born. He worked as a farmer, cotton mill worker and a preacher at the Free Will Baptist Church. Illness caused him to retire and he began creating artwork as a means of spiritual outreach. R.A. created a hillside environment of whirligigs and tin cut-outs of devils, angels, animals, and even neighbors, such as the immortalized “Oskar”. Reverend Miller used discarded gutters that he flattened out with a hammer for his cut out silhouettes of animals or figures painted with enamel. He often used markers on Masonite to create cave-like drawings of dinosaurs. Some collectors consider Miller’s early prehistoric type work some of his best. In the 1980’s, R.A. became a popular icon of Folk Art with Atlanta’s young professionals when he and his property were featured in a music video by the band R.E.M. Reverend Miller was included in the national touring exhibit, “Passionate Visions of the American South” originating from the New Orleans Museum of Art. He is also listed in Contemporary American Folk Art – A Collector’s Guide by Chuck and Jan Rosenak.
