Rivers are His Muse

With the support of Friends, acclaimed artist Ben Miller returned to the Chicago River on April 13, 2023, to create a portrait of Bubbly Creek along the South Branch of the river. From mid-morning through late afternoon, Miller spent hours painting this historic stretch of the river using his unique style of fly cast painting. Last April, Miller painted a portrait of the river’s downtown Main Stem from the steps of our McCormick Bridgehouse and Chicago River Museum.

Video of Miller at Bubbly Creek 

Casting paints on to a clear acrylic canvas, Miller places the paint colors in reverse – some delicately, some in splotches – using a fly rod and reel, a process he calls “fly cast painting.” When finished, Miller flips the clear canvas around to reveal a magical expression of the beauty of the river that he painstakingly created – cast, by cast, by cast. Miller is a Montana-based painter best known for his Endangered Rivers series, which he began out of his deep passion for raising the awareness and importance of river preservation.

The painting was displayed at the international art fair Expo Chicago which ran April 13 – 16 at Navy Pier. A portion of proceeds from the sale of the painting will benefit Friends of the Chicago River.

More information about Miller’s paintings and his process is available on his website.