Arthur Miller

                                                              Arthur Miller "A distillation of everything you know up to that moment." 2008

This portrait of Arthur Miller was part of The National Portrait Gallery's 2009 Mystery Portrait Exhibition. Nicola met Arthur many times because his wife Inge Morath was an old friend of Nicola's grandmother.  Nicola was always struck by his grounded and strong presence. Nicola decided to do a portrait of Arthur after she spent time with him and his wife at their home in Connecticut in the summer of 2001.  Arthur Miller built his home and most of his furniture himself, including the garden table and benches depicted.  In this portrait Nicola has used sketches she made from life built up with layers of pen and ink and gold leaf to represent Arthur Miller's down to earth, rooted essence as well as his more glamorous, other worldly success. When asked about the meaning of any of his plays, Arthur Miller responded that they are "A distillation of everything you know up to that moment."