Over the past 39 years, artisan Catherine Miller has honed her skills in the dying art of intaglio crystal engraving. Her involvement with the arts developed from a love of nature, sparked in her youth when her family moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Proximity to the natural beauty of the ocean inspired Catherine to pursue drawing, painting and sculpting. Exposure to the works of her favorite Ma
sters, Michaelangelo and Peter Paul Rubens, as well as the encouragement of her father, Andrew, instilled in Catherine a desire to create art from a very young age. After reading a National Geographic article describing the dying art of copper wheel engraving, Catherine was inspired to bring her skills to the art of engraving. Working with crystal, she has remained committed to the old world method of hand engraving without the use of stencils or patterns. Catherine utilizes a lathe and a variety of stone wheels, each with a unique diameter and profile, to create unique masterpieces with stunning levels of detail. Each piece can take up to two hundred hours to engrave and is a unique display of Catherine's commitment to and passion for world class engraving. Her designs have been presented to two United States Presidents, as well as to world leaders, dignitaries, entertainers, politicians, professional athletes and other collectors of fine art. Her works are presently part of the Permanent Collection of the United States White House, the State of West Virginia, and the Richard Nixon Library. In addition, Catherine has been commissioned to create many pieces, including a unique ornament for the official White House Christmas Tree and a Harpy Eagle for Jim Fowler of Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom", currently on display at the Explorer's Club in New York City. While Catherine has received such distinguished awards as West Virginia Woman of the Year for Arts, Entrepreneur of the Year, and Dream Maker of the Arts, she does not rest on her laurels. She feels that the best is yet to come and continues her efforts to create pieces that will be cherished and proudly passed on to future generations.
