Farwell to the master Door County artist Gerhard Carl Friedrich Miller passes away By Donna Marie Pocius For The News-Chronicle He's gone, but he lives in the hearts of Door Peninsula artists, community leaders, residents and oh, so many others he has touched throughout his long life. The Door County artist Gerhard Carl Friedrich Miller died of natural causes shortly after 5 a.m. Saturday in his rural Sturgeon Bay home. He lived 100 years, four months and four days. A private cremation service was held and a memorial service is being planned, but the date has not been set. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Huehns Funeral Home of Sturgeon Bay. A Sturgeon Bay native, who painted with watercolor and egg tempera, Miller built a worldwide reputation for his creations. His work was inspired partly by his travel to 45 countries and, especially, by his love for Door County, which he called a "gold mine." "All you have to do is start from one end of the Peninsula and go to the other, and you will find more inspiration than you can possibly handle," Miller said in an interview just before his 100th birthday, April 12. Local painters recall Miller's talent, leadership and support of artists and his students. Community leaders cite the centenarian's generosity and vision in creating the Miller Art Museum. Many of them remember hearing Miller tell a joke or two, sharing wonderful stories made possible by his incredible memory, having conversations over dinner, feeling touched by his faith and so much more. "It's a sad time for the arts and Door County," said James Ingwersen, a Sister Bay artist, who called Miller his mentor. "I'll remember him as a real gentleman who was very supportive of artists; a wonderful, wonderful man." Miller started painting at age 11 when he was suffering from polio, which weakened his legs. At first, working with the paintbrush was a nice change from crocheting potholders as physical therapy. But after the 13-year-old won $25 for a painting at the Door County Art Fair, his life started on a new path. Without formal art education (he studied business at the University of Wisconsin-Madison), Miller painted on the side while working full-time in his father's clothing store, Miller's Clothing House, in Sturgeon Bay. In 1959, he began painting full-time. Miller always exhibited a spirit of optimism, said R. Charlie Lyons, owner of The Paint Box Gallery, Ephraim. "He never seemed to see the dark side of anything," Lyons said. "He had a very optimistic view of life despite all the trouble in his life with polio. He'll be remembered for his art, so often an expression of the optimistic attitude. He often didn't give his pictures religious titles, but he would put a cut-down stump in the middle of new trees as a sign of rebirth and regeneration." He was a member of the American Watercolor Society and honored with a Huntington-Hartford fellowship and honorary doctor of humanities degree from Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pa. Father of the artists Lyons credited Miller with leading other painters to the Peninsula and helping to establish the area as an arts colony. Ephraim artists Charles Peterson, Karsten Topelmann and Ellen Sprogo-Topelmann agree. "As an artist, I owe Gerhard a great debt," said Peterson, who left teaching and management at Marietta (Ohio) College in 1973. "I decided to come here originally and take up a full-time career as an artist because of his presence and success in the area. Miller painted through this past spring, and remained "alert and active right to the end," Peterson said. Topelmann, who left a full-time graphic arts career in the Chicago area to establish Hanseatic Art Gallery in 1971, also was encouraged by Miller. "Since we came to Door County, and through our careers up here, he has been a steady influence and symbol of honesty and being forthright," Topelmann said. "And through his art, he made people aware of the beauty of the county." Miller married twice, the first time to the former Edna Knutson, who died in 1956. The couple had two children, David and Margaret Mary, who was at her father's side Saturday. Museum educates community With his second wife, the former Ruth Morton, who died in 2001 at 99, Miller established the Miller Art Museum in 1975, adjacent to the Door County Library in Sturgeon Bay. The Millers wanted to provide a place to educate and provide opportunity for emerging artists and students, said Bonnie Hartmann, the museum's director. Each year, a juried show of works from artists 18 years and older fills the museum, and in the spring, high school students from throughout the county have an opportunity to share their art as well. "He was such an icon to the community, not only because of his art, but the contribution of the Miller Art Museum," said Sturgeon Bay Mayor Colleen Crocker-MacMillin. "He was such a visionary. It is so phenomenal to have together art education, books and reading." The museum also houses a permanent collection of 600 works from Peninsula artists and other Wisconsin painters. The collection, which began with a few Miller paintings, is found on the museum's mezzanine level. And through Aug. 30, the museum is hosting "Gerhard C. F. Miller: Celebrating a Century," an exhibition of 75 Miller works, the most ever on display in one setting. "I will always remember him for his generosity, which was manifested in the beautiful art museum," said Hartmann.