MARK MILLER Candlelit dinner. Magazine illustration for an unknown publication, c. 1960. Mixed media on board. 318x502 mm; 12 1/2x19 3/4 inches. Unsigned.
Mark Miller was born Marshall Dawson Miller on Jan. 2, 1919, in Eldorado, Oklahoma. He began his art career as a costume designer in Hollywood in the 1930s. His career was cut short during WWII when he enlisted in the armed services. After the war, he established himself in the highly competitive field of New York City magazine illustration. His work appeared in Collier's and The Saturday Evening Post, as well as many European magazines. While working as an illustrator, he developed a love for winemaking. When demand for illustrators waned in the 1960s, he moved his family to Europe to turn his hobby into his livelihood. Miller sold his first wines commercially in 1972, for which he illustrated the labels. By the early 1990s, Benmarl Vineyards (about 70 miles north of New York City) spanned about 70 acres and produced about 10,000 cases a year.
Source: Marshall Dawson (Mark) Miller - Biography. (n.d.). https://www.askart.com/artist_bio/Marshall_Dawson_Mark_Miller/10037090/Marshall_Dawson_Mark_Miller.aspx
