SmokingKills

SmokingKills (2025)

Acrylic and oil with Liquin gel on canvas, 24 × 18 in

In SmokingKills, G.M. Miller isolates the stark warning found on UK cigarette packaging, presenting it in its familiar black-and-white restraint. Only the word “kills” is disrupted—layered with oil paint in reds, oranges, and yellows, then built up with Liquin gel to create a textured, molten surface.

The material choice is intentional. Acrylic establishes a flat, authoritative base, while oil—thinned with linseed oil—introduces transparency and depth. The liquin adds a tactile, almost blistered quality, suggesting heat beneath the surface. From a distance, the piece appears minimal and unassuming; closer inspection reveals a smouldering violence embedded within.

By referencing UK packaging, Miller situates addiction as a global condition rather than a personal failing. The work reflects how harm is often hidden in plain sight—acknowledged, labelled, yet emotionally distant—much like addiction itself.