Abraham Miller was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., 1951, to parents who
emigrated from Poland. Born into a family with musical talents,
Abe became a composer and has written dozens of songs. At
age 20 he married and, always the entrepreneur, went into
the retail business. Abe later worked at a real estate firm as
vice president of acquisitions and dispositions, before opening
Signature Silver, then Signature Art Gallery.
Today after surviving COVID and at age 70, Abe paints
spontaneous self taught art, largely in the style of modern
abstract expressionism. He hopes that his paintings will be
appreciated and inspire others to explore their creative talents
to the fullest.
I have many people to thank for their love and support, which
saved my life.
My wife Ruth, for her loyalty throughout my ordeal and for her
enthusiasm for my artistic pursuits.
All my wonderful children, for going out of their way to help
me recover.
All of my friends and neighbors, for their prayers.
Dr. and Mrs. Shalom Hirschman have been very close friends
for many years. Dr. Hirschman was the head of the infectious
disease department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
Respected throughout the world, he is at the same time the
most humble person you will find. Throughout my hospital
stay, he and his wife were involved in my care as if I were their
child. They were constantly in touch with my children, providing
advice and counseling that helped guide them in the difficult
decisions they had to make. We will never forget them.
Dr. Avi Levine of the Westchester Medical Center was a
lifesaver sent from God. If not for him, I would not be here to
tell my story. No matter how busy, he always made time to
respond to my family, knowing how anxious they were to receive
updates. If not for his patience and careful attention, my family
would not have been able to survive this ordeal. I also want to
thank the staff of Westchester Medical Center. They deserve the
most credit for being there and giving it all, their doctors and
staff were unbelievable in a time that the pandemic was at the
height of the plight, they did the impossible.
I have deep gratitude to Dr. Howard Leibowitz and the staff
of the Kimball Institute for Rehab, Lakewood, N.J., and to the
rehabilitation staff of Helen Hayes Hospital in West Haverstraw,
N.Y.
Most thanks for Al Desetta in not only writing this book, but
being helpful in all related items to bring it to life, his professional
advice is very much appreciated as I could not have done it
without his input.
I am grateful to Mario Rabadi of Image Amazing Inc. for the
photography and editing of this book, we couldn’t have done it
without you. Your talents and experience are major contributions
to our success.
Finally, thanks to Chloe Finley, the Abe Miller art collection’s
Curator and Head of Advisory Board, for your dedication, hard
work, and insights.
A harrowing and poignant tale of survival, new life, and latent talents, From
COVID to CANVAS tells the incredible success story of breakout abstract
painter, Abe Miller. This book shares Miller’s experience from his own
perspective, beginning with a suspiciously persistent “flu”, through a 100
day coma with a 5% chance to live, his miraculous recovery and difficult
rehabilitation, and the process of painting over 400 abstract expressionist
works — without having any prior art knowledge! Follow Miller’s
matter-of-fact and highly inspirational story while enjoying a portfolio
of 25 selected paintings representing his full range and unique styles.
