D.L. Miller

Growing up in the Appalachian Mountains of Western Maryland, David Miller learned at an early age to appreciate nature, finding inspiration in the majestic views that surrounded the Miller’s small wood frame home. It was also where he discovered, at an early age, his artistic talents and dreamed of one day pursuing this passion. However, life is not easy in this part of the country and the Millers were of modest means, so when not in school, David, along with his three brothers, worked tirelessly tending to the family garden and chickens and hunting and fishing…all of which was done not for sport, but to sustain the family, leaving very little time to pursue outside interests or hobbies. However, this didn’t discourage David; in fact, it was the catalyst to propel him to work even harder to pursue his dreams. Although his talents were raw, his high school Art Instructor realized his artistic abilities and encouraged Dave to enter his work in regional art contests, resulting in multiple recognitions and rewards. As high school graduation drew near, David’s parents were committed to seeing that their sons had the opportunities that they, and the generations before him did not, to attend college. So, in 1983, David enrolled at Frostburg State University in western MD to pursue a degree in Fine Art. While financial aid and student loans assisted in defraying the cost of college, it was not enough, and David took on any and all odd jobs to make ends meet. This period also marked David’s first venture into exhibiting and selling his work on the streets of Cumberland Maryland. His talents, hard work and dedication were later rewarded with Frostburg State University’s most prestigious Art Scholarship. In the spring of 1987, David became the first in his family to graduate from college, earning a degree in Fine Art with a concentration in Design. Shortly after graduation, David accepted a position as a graphic designer for a small specialty interest publishing company in Cumberland, MD. Since the early 80s, David’s career path has led him to becoming a Publishing Director of specialty magazines and books, to a senior level position with one of today leading Gift manufacturers. While pursing a successful career, David continued to also pursue his passion for art, exhibiting his work at regional art shows and gallery events, as well as designing many gift and garden products for manufacturers. Today, he focuses much of his time developing his illustrative style that is featured in his new series of BigFoot Seek and Find books. Highly intricate, each illustration is drawn by hand (not computer generated) with carefully placed color accents that tell a visual story about the world we live in. When not working in his design studio, David still has a day job as the VP of Sales and Marketing for Fox Chapel Publishing, the Publisher who brought his BigFoot Seek and Find books to life!