Synopsis

A Total Work of Art: The Story of Edgar Miller explores the life of the prolific and multi-talented Chicago artist Edgar Miller. The story starts in his childhood on the Miller family homestead around the turn of the 20th century in Idaho Falls. The story follows Miller’s time as an enterprising young artist who designed the architecturally fearless Handmade Homes during the 1920s and ‘30s, all the way to his participation in preserving the buildings in Chicago’s Old Town neighborhood in the 1980s and ‘90s. The story is told in 3 distinct time periods and artistic styles:

• Edgar Miller - from his journey to Chicago, his rise in the Chicago art world, and his unique philosophy gained along the way

• Lucy Montgomery - a civil rights activist who housed members of the Black Panther Party in the Glasner Studio invites Edgar back to see the studios and make one more thing

• Karen Flowers - a glass artist who took root in Chicago just in time to take care of Edgar as his final caregiver and become one of the last people he mentored talks with Edgar, hearing some of his last stories and his artistic philosophy.

Edgar’s Work & Historical Archive

Getting access to the countless pieces of Edgar Miller work from the EML archive was the only way to comprehensively research the pictures and style for the book. I also ended up buying some of the last copies of Edgar’s books on Ebay which have been invaluable for inspiring the book’s style. throughout the book, Jeff Kruse guided the research - sending period-specific news articles, letters, and other interesting pieces.

Here are just a few of the things I used to get visual inspiration.

Sketches & Context

Here’s how the book started. My style evolved as I grew more familiar with Edgar’s work.