December 2019 I began an enormous overhaul, transformation, evolution and complete reinvention of my art. One day I will hopefully write the story of my entire artistic journey to this present moment, yet for now I will share the pivotal moments of the last few months.
While setting up the Christmas Show I noticed a couple of blank spaces on the wall in the Patti Wessman Glass area. I give artists space during the Holiday show to present their gift items and her work is bright and full of energy and light. I popped out 2 abstract pieces, put frames on them and voila, a door to a new exciting road opened and I raced through it.

The abstracts were the first to start developing and gradually after several paintings on paper I landed on canvas and a figure appeared. That painting was the first time in years I let the messages take over and I allowed the paint and canvas to guide me.
At first I thought the woman was holding a child and the child's  head was the round greenish gold ball. When I stepped back I realized the child was holding the world up in its hands and something struck my heART. The realization that I had a job to do and a new book to write. After publishing 6 books I thought I was done with books. Imagine my internal shock when I realized there was more to be said and I was being given the task (because of my life experiences as an artist and poet/songwriter) to do the work.

These were the first 3 images that flooded my vision and transported me to the present day and work I am still developing.

I do not sleep well and in the past I would just push through the darkness and deal with the waking 5 times a night by watching something on TV. When this transformation took complete hold of me I would get up and race down to the gallery at all hours from 1am to 4am and start painting. Instead of fighting the forces, I gave in to them and honored and trusted that this was really important work. I was painting between my old more graphic classic children's book style and the new abstracted style so several of the pieces are what I call my "in between style" .

The portrait painter once again resurfaced on January 27th, 2020. I had made a conscious decision that I could no longer watch the negative news and all that ripping and tearing of common kindness I was raised surrounded by so I cleared my life and turned off all "Bad News". A friend was visiting me on January 26th and mentioned the Kobe Bryant & his daughter plus several other people had died in a tragic helicopter accident.   On January 27th 2020 I was suddenly moved to get up at 4am and paint their faces. what struck me and is driving me to this day is that life is so fragile. The instant death of these precious souls reconfirmed my commitment to getting this book out as a quickly as possible.

My portrait  work had been in watercolors for 15 years although I began painting faces in Oil in college.

This was something different than the children's book that was developing. "Soulful Voices" is the title of the book and this series of faces  had a new name and meaning for me. "Honored Souls" was born.

What has and is still developing every day in the wee hours of the am is powerful "get out of the way work" that frees my soul and sets it flying. There are surprises with each new piece and growth in my technical skill every day (since acrylic and palette knife are my newest medium)

My goal is to inspired others to take a chance , a leap of faith if you will , and turn off the noise out there and listen to your heart and speak your truth and wisdom .  There are cries coming from the Earth, Sea, Sky and all Living Creatures. Some of the pieces I am painting are loud statements that will hopefully aligned with Non Profits and some are soft quiet pleas for peace.

I will end this blog with the first page of Soulful Voices and with a prayer that if you read this you to listen to the kind loving words in your heart and come dance with me in the world of creativity.

It is so amazing to think about this old building in its youth. Recently, I had a visitor who told me that her home in Napa and my building were builtby the same person and the they used railroad tracks to build the foundation and the roof!

Over the years so many wonderful visitors have come through the little red French front door thinking we were just a tiny gift shop and to their amazement and delight they are thrilled to walk through the 8 large rooms with high ceilings and skylights.

This space has a magical quality and I knew it peeking in the windows the first time I visited this space. November 1984 was the day I signed the lease and I commuted from Walnut Creek every day for two years developing my first three rooms.

At the time, the building was home to six other artists and we all began to connect and support each other. Over the next ten years, as an artist would leave I would rent another room. When I my met my husband Gary in 1990, he and his whole family would come and do all the work cleaning up spaces and getting them ready to be part of the Jessel Gallery. Fast forward to today and with the addition of the new wine barn in back, this once-quaint country location is jumping with gentle energy and excitement.

It is my 70th Birthday this September 30th and I am beginning a new vision of creating Jessel HeART Farm, NAPA VALLEY.

My greatest joy these days, besides welcoming my guests and being with family and friends, is teaching people to find their creative core.
My classes have enriched my life in so many ways. I am working on a business plan for a barn-like structure (click through my vision board below) for artists to come and take and teach classes and guests from around the world can experience some of the most talented people sharing their knowledge in a country setting.

I can see the barn when I close my eyes. Glass doors and windows floor to ceiling on one side with a beautiful meadow view of the valley and high ceilings with skylights and a loft-like second floor. The space would have heat and air conditioning, a bathroom, kitchen and living room. There would be tables and easels for painting instruction and an area for clay and collage. This is my dream of my next incarnation that would be the perfect addition to the Jessel Gallery.

The Napa Valley is filled with opportunity to taste wonderful wines and I feel it is time to add a purely creative side to go hand in hand with the wine offerings. Recently, I did a class at William Hill Winery for 40 millennial executives from Google/YouTube. We had so much fun in the most amazing location under a vine-covered arbor overlooking the valley. When I spoke with the Events Coordinator from the winery she said “There are so many wineries in this valley that we need to add this kind of creative event for our tours and clients.” This warms my heart to hear and with all your prayers and perhaps help if you believe in this vision we can “build it and they will come!"

Until next time,
Jessel

Over the past several months I have been learning lessons about loving and painting with abandon.

For several years I devoted myself to certain styles and relationships in my life and this year a huge shift happened and my whole perspective changed in both my direction artistically and personally.

I had a pattern set up in my creative process and was going along doing the same art that I had done for 10 years. A personal relationship shift facilitated a huge change in my direction artistically.

It was time to be brave and try something new or perhaps visit some of the old me and reinvent the concepts. I was cleaning out one of the frame shop drawers and I came upon a giclee of one of my favorite (what I called spiritual) pieces done in the late 1970’s. At the time I was deeply invested in my  songwriting career and the piece was the title of a song called Dolphins, Whales and Seals.  I was then, as I am even more now, concerned about our planet and the fragile thread that binds us all together...the environment. I had my framer stretch the canvas giclees and when I put them up on the wall I was struck by the story being told. It was almost like I could see the future and even then expressed my fears of what could happen if we do not respect this tiny planet we all inhabit.

I have set up a place on the roof of my building to paint large canvases and let go to something new in my heart and my art.

A dear friend who was watching me struggle with the changes aptly put it when she said “life is short and getting shorter” There is no time to waste and all we have is today so with this in mind, like many of my students, I jump into a new world bravely knowing there is much to still be discovered in my creative process.

Did any of you watch Diane Sawyer's amazingly informative program called Screen Time? I highly recommend it.

eI am as guilty of the next person when it comes to the amount of time I spend on the computer, in front of the TV and occasionally on the phone. (My eyes are not good enough to read the small print on the phone so my screen of choice is the computer or TV!) Though my Zen Zone is painting first and connecting to clients in the gallery daily, I do a lot of investigating on the computer for my class each Sunday.

Screen Time raised issues for me. I am working on a new path of expressing my truth one on one with friends and eliminating the middle entity...the computer.

Some people devote themselves to yoga. I find the same benefits in my devotion to teaching my weekly art class.  I take deep breaths and focus on the the subject we are working on and the needs of each person who attends the class. There are different levels of skill sets in the class, yet everyone brings the voices in their heads into the room. My job is to help them eliminate the sound and replace it with embracing the white paper, the colors on the palette, and the concept for that week.

Screen Time definitely affected me and made me more aware of what I love to do...Paint, Dance and Communicate in person. I know we will not eliminate our connection to this new means of communication. I highly recommend reconnecting to the excitement we felt in our simple pleasures as children.

I wrote a book in 2002 called Angels in the Vineyards
It won the American Book Award for Excellence in Literature (not for the images, but for the words which surprised and thrilled me at the time). The premise was simply put in the prayer bestowed upon the children in the book

 I was raised without TV, computers or cell phones and my childhood was filled to the brim with creative living. On the last page of my book I wrote:

"The children woke next morning
And knew the Angel's wish
No Television, no Computers
Today we simply Fish."
and in small print it whispers:"catch and release, Catch and Release ...a fish mantra"

I guess you know what my wish for you is...
Big Hugs,
Jessel

This month, something very dramatic happened. I decided it was time for the old diseased pine trees to come down in front of the gallery. The Wildfire of 2017 was just a mile away from the gallery (and my wooden apartment above the gallery).  I knew it was too dangerous to hold on to the trees. They are like torches when they catch fire, and I would not have had a chance if they ignited the gallery. The winds were the worst part of the fires and homes randomly just up the street burned down on that night.

SO, with all this in mind, I took the final photos of the trees last night and watched today as they began to systematically remove them.

From the moment we arrive on this planet, we take our first breath and then let go. What I hear from so many people when they first decide to take my class is that they are afraid. They face a white sheet of paper and do not know who they are or what to do. My goal is to be the breathing coach as they arrive, guide them to the very core of their imaginative soul, and give the students their internal wings to fly free creatively.

I myself am still learning everyday to let go, and watching my students as they take flight helps me soar as well.

Letting go is dramatic and scary and life-changing, yet the other side of the process is exciting and enriching. It allows for an improved view in your life, your art and now my Gallery! Here is to Letting GO.

Goodbye Pine Trees…You have been with me for 35 years and I bless you. And bless you Joy for all you added to my life and Gallery.

I hope you will all go hug a tree in honor of the 5 that left my garden today. 
Hug a tree today for
Jessel    

Hello My Dear Friends and Loved Ones,

​2018 has come to a close. So much has happened in the year, yet the Jessel Gallery is still OPEN DAILY and experiencing wonderful visitors. The Gallery will be celebrating 35 years in 2019, and the transitions continue. We are about to add wheelchair access ramps, automated door, and bathrooms as well as a sprinkler system throughout the space. There will be a slight downsizing in the clothing area with the moving of our frame shop from one side of the building to the other. And speaking of framing, John Stemmer has been with the gallery since 2001.  He still supports this vision and does the best framing I have ever seen.

The Lesti Team from Windermere Real Estate moved into a room in the gallery; Christi Lesti not only manages my affairs, but also watches the gallery from time to time. She is also a wonderful artist in her own right!

Prime Solum moved into the back building (William Hill’s daughter Elana runs the show); it is a modern, clean concept in wine tasting. The more businesses moving into this area the better; this is how I have always felt since I have been here the on this block, and it is exciting to see how the area has maintained its tranquility yet continued to grow and fill in all around me. ​

​As you can see, the gallery keeps “growing and glowing” as we slip into 2019.

There was a giant loss of my Sweet Boy “Buddy” Cat who fought the big fight of kidney disease for many years and brought so much peace and love into so many people’s lives. It never ceased to amaze me that in the middle of the night when I needed comfort,  I would call out his name and within the count of 3, he was nestled in the pit of my  arm, purring me back to sleep. I waited a month before beginning the search for a playmate for Betty Girl, my big long haired domestic cat.

I had a dream about a cat named Max, and on 9/11,  Joy and I drove 3 hours and picked up Max Meoo.

In so many ways, Max is bringing me such deep hearted joy. It took Betty about 2 months to finally decide Max was not going away “so she better either start playing with him or hide for the rest of her life.”  She chose to play, sleep, clean and preen him, and there is finally much less hissing and much more laughter in the apartment.
​
Ultimately, Max reminds me every day is that he, too, like my Buddy “comes to the call.”  From his first night in my bed to today, I can call out his name and he is either right there beside my head resting on half of my pillow or he comes from wherever he is in the house and lands on my chest, falling gently asleep with the rhythm of my breath.  

​I know that I am blessed because I have the support of so many extraordinary people in my life who would “come to my call,” and I in turn would do the same for them. In these times of political confusion, earthly tragedies, personal trauma and drama, I look at the people who surround me and truly love, and cherish my light, and with that in my heart I am the wealthiest woman I know. 

My wish for all of you this New Year 2019, is that you either have or gain people who will COME TO YOUR CALL.  
My world is so much better because of YOU!
Jessel

The year is drawing to a close. It is my good friend and editor of my books, Carolynne Gamble, who summed it up for me in such a wonderful way. She said that you cannot measure the success of a business from the simple financial perspective. You need to look at how much you have done to give back to the community…how many artists you have supported with your wisdom and how inspiring you have been to your students. 

​I sometimes equate success with money and even though we do well in that department the greatest joy I experience has nothing to do with the sales I make. Every single day someone comes through my door and lifts me up with stories about how they found us or what we mean to them. They talk about coming back after 10 years and being so thankful that we are still here. 

One couple recently told me that their parents told them to visit the gallery and they live up the hill on Atlas Peak. They had never been in and they were one of the lucky ones whose house did not burn last year while every house around them did. They were so grateful to come through our door and find a place in the area where they felt at ease and comfortable.

It is stories like this that I am honored to hear about truly every day.  So in this New Year as we all begin again I am dedicated to a new cause: the Victims of the Butte County Fire. 
​
I cannot even imagine what they are going through with no home this Holiday Season. We are all fortunate to have so much and my prayer is that everyone sitting at their Holiday table will send loving thoughts to all the families in Butte County. 

There is so much we can do and my heart is filled with tears that I use to motivate me to give what I can. It is times like this that the creative soul kicks into gear and works to make life better for others.

“As a survivor of the Napa Fire Storm last year I personally know what the families in Butte County are facing in the days, weeks, months and even years ahead. The challenge is great and demanding.  I pray for all the families that God will guide them, so that they can find meaning that brings them to a new objective in their lives, as the lives they once knew are now changed forever.  God Bless Everyone!”
A letter from Janice Swanson.

Happy Holidays to You and Yours,
Jessel Miller and the Jessel Gallery Family

When I was a very small child and too afraid to leave my Mom to go to kindergarten my Mom (who knew I loved to create) sat me on the floor in the living room and said..."You are going to color when you go to school". Just knowing I could do something creative allowed me the freedom from fear of the unknown. It was my refuge and remains that today some 69 years later.

It is my great honor to present a lineup of visionaries who have spent many months creating the wonders that fill the gallery. My Motto in my "Angels In the Vineyard Book" is "By Hand is By Heart" and it remains true every day of my life as I am blessed to be surrounded by beauty throughout the Jessel Gallery. We offer free gift wrapping and personal service while you shop for quality, hand-crafted holiday décor, home goods, jewelry paintings and so much more.

​Pictures speak so much more brilliantly than words so here are the artists participating in this year's two month long Show and Sale (click to enlarge each image).

​Also, a sneak peek into the start of a new book by Jessel Miller!

It was one year ago today that the Napa Valley was engulfed (or in my case “engolfed,” since the Safeway Open Golf Tournament was occurring  just across the street from the gallery) in the largest wildfire in the valley’s history.

There are stories that have been told by so many of my clients and friends, but most especially by seven truly resilient artists who are represented in this month’s show and sale, “From the HeART” in the Jessel Gallery. Each person has their individual experience of this deadly fire,  yet as I have learned from most artists in my life, including myself, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going “ – meaning when the situation becomes difficult, the strong will work harder to meet the challenge. Sometimes, when we are in a tough situation, an inspirational quote or “proverb” can help us remain calm and focused. 

​The seven artists in this show incurred varying degrees of loss, from 1,000 paintings in a storage locker in Santa Rosa, to their studio filled with art, to a second fire at the same location and the second loss of a home.

​Some want to talk about it and some simply want to stay in the present and paint. One fact is true….Art is the healing force in their lives. 

​The gallery (though we survived) was only a mile away from the fire, and I slept through some of the worst damage on Westgate. It was my friend, Marsha, who called to tell me we were being evacuated. Only my friends know I lived above the gallery, but because of the tremendous winds, the old pine trees in front of the gallery, and my old wooden apartment, it could have been a disastrous situation. I was one of the lucky ones….
I wanted to create a show dedicated to these survivors.  It fell in place easily and magically once I realized that it needed to be about the art that has come after this momentous disaster.

My prayer is that we all know that from the ashes come new seeds of hope. These artists inspire all the survivors and all of us to allow creativity to heal our wounds and fill us with joy. Below are some quotes about art and its healing powers.     

"Art opens the closets, airs out the cellars and attics. It brings healing."
Julia Cameron

"At the deepest level, the creative process and the healing process arise from a single source. When you are an artist, you are a healer; a wordless trust of the same mystery is the foundation of your work and its integrity."
Rachel Naomi Remen, MD

"Making art is like giving a gift: evidence of your spirit and that you are here."
Patty Mitchell

"Art is a wound turned into light."
Georges Braque

When I “art,” the world around me disappears and for that moment in time, I am floating in form, color and light; it is the purest expression of peace I know. 
Jessel Miller,  October 2018