Artist: Jessel Miller

Size: 18 1/2" x 18 1/2"

Media: Watercolor

Jessel Miller was born in a small town in Northern Ontario, Canada, in 1949. Her father was a country doctor/artist and Mom was the festive singer, poet, and entertainer in the family. Jessel was an extremely shy and withdrawn child. (Hard to believe when you meet her now!)

A portrait artist for 15 years, Jessel had her first one-person show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1980 with paintings of famous Bay Area personalities like Maya Angelou and Herb Caen.

Napa had always reminded Jessel of her small town roots, so in 1984 she picked up her life and opened the Jessel Gallery in Napa, California.

Jessel is unique in that she not only runs the largest gallery in the Napa Valley with her son, Ryan Miller, she also paints amazing, vivid views of the wine country and continues to write and illustrate "Read Aloud Books for Children and Adults." Angels in the Vineyards written in 2002 won the American Book Award for Excellence in Literature.

Her latest endeavor is a dream for Jessel. She sings back-up vocals for a world-class performer, Terry Bradford. Terry was Celine Dion's vocal partner and now Jessel is Terry's good friend and supporter on his road to global recognition.

Through her writing, art, and vocal skills, Jessel carries the treasures of her childhood out into the world. "I feel fortunate to have lived before television and computers. My childhood was a time of make-believe, imagination and creativity, and visiting with neighbors and friends was an everyday occurence. A simple life was lived with respect and compassion for all."