Miles Xavier Byrd

Hello! My name is Miles, I'm a Tacoma based abstract artist with a focus on community and collective action. I hope that is felt through my work.

Murmurations and an artist statement:

Murmurations, large flocks of starlings in a beautiful dance, creating constantly shifting forms in the sky. Each one is an individual but their communication and community allows them to find much more freedom and safety than they ever could alone.To me, these murmurations represent something I hope our human communities can strive towards. To many, particularly in America, strength and freedom come from doing things purely under your own power. To me, it's the exact opposite. True freedom comes from communication, connections, and community and I think starlings embody that ideal.

The primary technique I utilize in my art is stippling. The tedium of it is something I deeply enjoy because it allows me to better visualize and appreciate time. The repetitive, meditative nature of my work seems to stretch the hours in my studio further than anywhere else; it slows me and my world down, bringing comfort in these fast times and reminding me that there is, in fact, time. Recently, I've been interested in micro-organisms and particulates. Thinking of the ways they move through systems and how they visualize the flow of energy in said systems.