A passion for both archaeology and science fiction led La Plata artist Doug Miller to develop his Ancient X-Files art collection, which will be displayed at Salmon Ruins through the Winter Solstice.
The Ancient X-Files Art Collection opens with a reception from 4 to 8 p.m. June 13 at Salmon Ruins, 6131 U.S. Highway 64 in Bloomfield.
The show consists of 30 acrylic paintings on canvas that are “inspired by ancient rock art most of which resemble ancient rock art petroglyphs with a fun science fiction twist to them,” Miller said.
“Many of the images I’ve created for the show have possible double interpretations and hidden messages,” Miller said, adding he enjoys inspiring “people to not always look on the negative but to maybe look on the brighter side.”
There also will be “a group of memorabilia art” that includes a gourd pot done by Miller in the 1990s, called “Anasazi Sky Friends.”
“It’s pottery designs with UFOs up in the sky,” Miller said.
Miller has had a longtime fascination with aliens and archaeology, saying he is not sure how to explain alien phenomenon.
“I’m not so sure there’s a lot of difference between what some call angels and others call aliens. I see some connections scripturally-wise,” he said. “Angels simply appear throughout the Bible. Others come down from the heavens. They are up there.”
Miller added he likes “to believe that they just might be the same thing – just a different title.”
He also has toyed with the idea that ancestral Puebloans didn’t leave the region because of the drought, but possibly as a result of “them not necessarily being abducted by aliens but there is a connection between them,” Miller said.
“Some of my earlier artwork reflects that,” Miller said, adding some of the paintings in his show are from the 1990s.
Other artwork by Miller includes sculptures of American Indian ruins, including a replica of a Mesa Verde-style cliff dwelling made from “hand-carved little bricks.”
He works on his sculptures at Farmington’s Artifacts Gallery, where he has a studio booth. There, Miller made his latest sculpture entirely from broken auto glass, from an incident that occurred 20 years ago.
“I put it in a bucket and thought I could do an art project with that. … I took that glass and made a pretty piece of art with it,” Miller said.
Miller’s sculptures will not be included in the Salmon Ruins show, which is his third one-man show.
“I wanted to do a show that would create foot traffic out there,” Miller said, adding he has loved Salmon Ruins since first visiting there in 1973.
“With Salmon Ruins all through the years, I’ve been involved in participating in some of their arts and crafts shows, lending some of the curators items for display purposes and designing the T-shirt for their Salmon Rio Puerco Archaeology reunion in 2017,” he said.
Miller said that former ruins director Larry Baker inspired him and his creations.
Baker and others who have helped or inspired Miller will be included in a “grand finale painting” in the show that doesn’t relate to the science fiction theme.
“It’s called ‘Gratitude.’ I am honoring as many people as I possibly can who through the years have been a player through my art endeavors,” Miller said. “I am doing a tribute painting because it’s not all about me.”
