Harland Miller is both a writer and an artist, practicing both roles over a peripatetic career in both Europe and America. After living and exhibiting in New York, Berlin, and New Orleans during the 80s and 90s, Miller achieved critical acclaim with his debut novel, Slow down Arthur, Stick to Thirty, (2000). Miller's practice has developed in tandem with his love for books – both as sculptural objects in their own right and as the carriers of humor, irony, and emotion. For over a decade, Miller has been painting fictional covers for imaginary Penguin paperbacks, based on the original color block covers that were used to denote genre.

Miller's paintings have been shown internationally in solo and group exhibitions including at the Baltic Centre of Contemporary Art, Gateshead, 2009, Royal Academy of Art, London, England, 2006 and 2005, Kunsthalle Mannheim, Germany, 2004, and the ICA, London, England, 1996.