(Image above: 'Open Student' – a painting from the 'What are you looking at?' series)
Trevor Mill: “I want people who view my paintings to remember who their audience is”
Trevor Mill is a portrait artist and graphic designer who says of his work: “If there’s a theme it’s trying to capture the person or scene in an engaging and dynamic way, giving a sense of the time spent making the work.”
When thinking about the Route office, we wanted to display something interesting, a bit different. So we asked Trevor to bring to life the idea that people, not devices, are at the heart of our work as we report on reach and frequency for out-of-home posters and screens in Great Britain.
After much discussion, we commissioned six oil paintings and Trevor certainly rose to the challenge, capturing people and their connections to the world in positive, fun and slightly exaggerated poses. All the subjects are looking at us, and at advertising, in their own idiosyncratic ways.
Trevor Mill in his studio, June 2025
The series is called What Are You Looking At? And we hope that visitors to Route HQ will take a few minutes to enjoy them. We’re delighted to introduce Trevor here:
How did you become an artist?
I was the kid who could draw giraffes at junior school. As a young man I designed for the music world, working at New Musical Express, then as a designer on tour advertising, festivals, bar logos and other things. Seeking new challenges, I became a designer, typographer and illustrator for large advertising agencies including TBWA and there I created 48 sheets for Sony PlayStation, Carling and many other clients. In the next few jobs I stepped from Designer to Head of Design, Head of Art and eventually became Creative Director of a small agency.
Any lessons you’ve taken from advertising to your career as an artist?
That deadlines are good. Having to justify your decisions to others. Not flouncing over criticism, revisions are almost always for the best. Plus try and get paid, artists are terrible at that.
How do you think about the What are you looking at? series in terms of Route’s purpose?
The paintings are made as talking points, starters for conversations. I want people who view the work to remember who their audience is.
Tell us a bit about the creative process, and how you translated it to the final outcome?
My process involved creating three possible routes, and after the green light from Route came lists, sketching, thinking about how to make the work a cohesive whole. Models were friends – it’s always better to paint people you know and images you’ve made. I used oil paints and worked on all the paintings at the same time over about six months, alongside my design job. All this can be seen in the publication made to go with the paintings.
Did you manage to maintain creative freedom while navigating this corporate brief?
Yes. I have no problem with working to a brief; the end product is always going to be based on a myriad of decisions made by myself. I won’t let anything be shown that isn’t of a high standard. In any case, freedom isn’t something you particularly want as an artist; you need a structure/framework in which to create.
How did your choice of format and materials influence the outcome of the series?
The idea to make a series of small, related paintings was freeing. Each painted audience member could have equal billing and they became portraits that were related but separate rather than a jumble of figures sprawling over a large canvas. Oil paints give a depth of colour and texture – harder to use than acrylic but more rewarding.
Any current projects or exhibitions you’re excited about?
Jenny Saville: The Anatomy of Painting
20 June – 7 September 2025, National Portrait Gallery
Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits
John Singer Sargent’s portraits are in Kenwood's exhibition; 16 May - 5 October 2025
Earlier this year I went to the astounding Caravaggio 2025 exhibition in Rome.
I’m in a few exhibitions this year as well, showing paintings and hand-made art books.
What famous artist from history would you like to spend a day with?
I’d love to have a long lunch with Frank Auerbach, Francis Bacon, Velasquez, Paula Rego and many other artists. Not a whole day, got things to do.
Trevor’s website
