Everyday Objets, by Beth Miles
My mixed-media series, Everyday Objects, recently took center stage at the Marjorie Evans Gallery at Carmel-by-the-Sea's Sunset Cultural Center.
Me and My Everyday Objets
Running for the months of January & February, this exhibition debuted my watercolors alongside my three-dimensional product designs—an experience that felt both rich and complete.
Trained in apparel design before expanding into interiors and furniture,
I now devote much of my time to painting. My work is a variation on the theme of "making," and continues to evolve.
Bringing these pieces together under one roof allowed the audience to witness that connection more clearly.
Sketching and painting were once merely tools of my trade;
I love that I can now celebrate those ‘tools’ for their own intrinsic value. In my Everyday Objects series, I ponder the concept of "things that do" often; they are a primary subjects of my still lifes—from the shoeshine brush in I Remember Dad to the modern AirPods in Can You Hear Me? or the vintage Brownie camera in Flying Up.
Juxtaposed with text from the early 20th century,
it is fascinating, and deeply humbling, to see what has changed and what remains timeless.
Signature Vintage Army Cot #53
Watercolor and Charcoal of Signature Vintage Army Cot #53
The Couch, by Mies van der Rohe—an inspiration for the Signature Leather Army Cot.
Meeting new friends.
On January 22, 2026 the gallery hosted an opening reception where friends and newcomers alike spent time with the series. It allowed me the chance to share my artistic process and the broader intent of the work.
Everyday Objets postcard
Everyday Objets
The Everyday Objets series spotlights the “things that do” — tiny possessions that hold memory or signal a quiet capability. My daily practice of painting these still lifes is a form of meditation — an intentional pause to honor that which makes our lives function. Using vintage pages of text from well-worn books, I aim to challenge our culture of extractive consumption. These unconventional canvases push the boundaries of artistic orthodoxy, advocating for a more resourceful, transformative process.
I am intrigued by the beauty of these objets-- modern items or things from our past. Brownie cameras, shoeshine brushes or incandescent bulbs that are rich in details and act like a time capsule. While modern objets, like airpods and farmer’s market finds, bring much needed connection and healthy soil to serve our complex world. All steeped in meaning yet sometimes hidden in plain sight or taken for granted--like the books themselves from where the canvases emerged.
The objets flirt with the layers of text, the language and the subjects come in and out of focus but stand to highlight the enduring nature of the human experience. It is an exploration of the ephemeral versus the eternal: what the decades have altered and that which they could never change. The surprising depth of color and the organic wrinkle of the paper as water sets the medium are celebrated elements within each piece. My love of charcoal is evident throughout all. Sometimes the simplicity of graphite and charcoal over text allows one to imagine that the objet was always there, floating above the words.
Embracing the imperfect nature of each piece ultimately reflects our shared world and the inherent beauty present in each of us.
They pieces are bound by my curiosity to see what emerges when creativity is limited to the materials at hand.
Taking in the Objets
Nora Frank taking in the Bolinas Feather & Mussels from A Shell.
The Marjorie Evans Gallery, home to Everyday Objets
My daughter Somerset Miles Dwyer and Joaquin Bansuelo.
Elana Kline from the Sunset Cultural Center, at near right, Nancy Zeches at near left, Angela Williams at back right; Edric Alunnan, in cap, rear left.