Miles Takes is a multi-disciplined Visual Artist and Designer based in South East England. His bold geometric abstract works are reminiscent of the beauty of the natural world, the evocative works tell stories of distant memories through form and colour. As a Designer he has worked across multiple disciplines from designing textiles for luxury fashion brands to album covers for critically acclaimed musicians.
1) Which art movement do you consider most influential on your practice?
Neoplasticism, Dynamism and Op-art.
2) Where do you go and when to make your best art?
I’m a bit of a night owl so find my best work comes in the evenings and I’m happy working wherever I’m able to find the space be that in my studio or in my living room I need to work on bigger pieces.
3) How do you describe your 'creative process'?
Measured and considered. When creating works that have minimal elements I find that a key part of process is looking at all elements of the works I’m creating and doing each part with precision and care.
4) Which artist, living or deceased, is the greatest inspiration to you?
Some artist that inspire me or works of theirs which I really like are Frank Stella, Bridget Riley, David Hockney, KAWS, Josh Sperling, Sam Friedman and Cleon Peterson. I enjoy different elements of each of these artists works, be it the use of colour or form, or the messaging within the work.
5) If you weren't an artist, what would you do?
Some sort of creative role, I have a background in textile and graphic design so would continue doing that.
6) What do you listen to for inspiration?
I listen to all different genres of music whilst I work it depends what kind of mood I’m in at the time, as well as podcasts, I enjoy listening to storytelling based podcasts like those from “The Moth” and “This American Life” whilst I work also.
7) If you could own one artwork, and money was no object, which piece would you acquire?
I would probably go for David Hockney’s A bigger Splash, each time I visit the Tate Britain I will spend a bit of time sat in-front of it.
8) If your dream museum or collection owner came calling, which would it be?
I’d like to one day have my work shown in the Whitney in New York or with Gallerie Perrotin these are two spaces which I really admire.
9) What is your key piece of advice for artists embarking on a fine art or creative degree today?
Always keep developing your practice and keep creating new work, persistence is key.
10) What is your favourite book of all time (fiction or non fiction)?
One of my favourite books is “the Humans” by Matt Haig although I’m currently reading “Me Talk Pretty One Day” by David Sedaris which I’m really enjoying.
11) If you could hang or place your artwork in one non-traditional art setting, where would that be?
I will be doing a residency in Joshua Tree in 2025 which I think will bee really special and am looking forward to creating and placing my work in that environment.
12) What was the biggest lesson your university course or time studying taught you?
That architectural design was too bureaucratic as a creative process and I needed to do something which was more freeing creatively.
13) And finally, if we were to fast forward 10 years, where would we find you?
Hopefully in a bigger studio or somewhere showing my work internationally.
Learn more about Miles and discover his collection of artwork
