Jonathan Miles is a British painter and writer whose multidisciplinary practice spans painting, critical theory, fiction, and curatorial writing. His work explores the relationship between painting, repetition, labour, and time, often approaching abstraction through serial structures and sustained processes of accumulation. Balancing philosophical reflection with material sensitivity, Miles’ paintings investigate how duration, memory, and perception can be embedded within acts of making.
A central aspect of his practice is the 1000 Paintings series, an ambitious long-term project in which the artist hand-painted one thousand individual works. Although each painting is unique, the series draws upon the logic of printmaking and serial production, using repetition and subtle variation to explore ideas of rhythm, contemplation, and existential duration. For Miles, painting functions not only as an aesthetic exercise, but as a psychological and philosophical framework through which to navigate time, routine, and isolation.
Alongside his studio practice, Miles is widely recognised for his writing on contemporary art and culture. He has contributed catalogue essays and critical texts for numerous internationally acclaimed artists, including Enrico David, Haris Epaminonda, and Celia Hempton, among others. He is also a member of the editorial board of Material Magazine in Los Angeles.
Miles studied at the Slade School of Fine Art from 1969 to 1973 and later served as the London Editor of ZG Magazine in the early 1980s. He currently serves as a tutor at the Royal College of Art. His work has been exhibited internationally, including at White Columns, Venster Museum Rotterdam