John Miller, London born, and after Army Service, was initially attracted to the theatre however he then trained and became an architect prior to moving to West Cornwall in 1958 to paint full time. In 1961, he was elected to the Newlyn School of Artists and for several years was also Chairman. In 1964 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and he went on to do many solo exhibitions in London, New York, Vancouver and Europe acquiring an extensive following and becoming synonymous for his portrayals of West Cornwall's beauty. Miller is also known for his landscapes of Venice, Italy and India.
Spirituality was extremely important to him with some thoughts to becoming a monk. He was a third order Franciscan and in the later part of his life, he became a Lay Canon in Truro Cathedral. He was survived by his partner, Michael Truscott.