The journey to my current work was built on a lifetime of self-discovery and personal growth both in life and art.

A great force is at work on the planet constantly, yet the current state of the earth is moving me to express the deepest echo reverberating around the world.

There is a yearning and pleading voice speaking through me and I consider it a privilege to answer the call.

I had the honor of seeing Oprah in person years ago. The most poignant moment in her speech was a line her friend, Gayle said to her when she was unhappy about her life. She said "Oprah, you need to be saying USE ME, USE ME, USE ME instead of complaining." I took away the thought that I need to put my power and potential to work for the good of others.

That has been my Mantra for years and is to this day.

Art is a very personal expression. Each of us gravitates to different subjects, styles and mediums, yet the one thread Art sows/sews is the desire to silently speak through color, line, design and concept.

2019/2020 and 2021 are cornerstone years in my life path. I have taken back my artistic soul and dedicate myself to my heART every single day.
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I am not sure the work will resonate with the everyone, yet I am sure that I cannot get in the way of this force of nature pulsing through me and guiding me to my new style I call "Jesselism." (Click here to see other work)

I invite you to take a moment and share your thoughts about the new work. I welcome your truth and hope that in some small way these new images move you, shake you, wake you and make you feel....something.

Happy Holidays and Blessings from my Family to Yours   

Davina and I met because of a dear friend who also passed just recently. Linda Legg.

Right from the start, we were Sisters in our Faith and Foundation. We had family energy and history that seemed ancient.

Davina dealt with her passing as she did with life in general. Humor was her middle name. She actually did stand up comedy at my Jamin at Jessel Club and brought the house down. She was brave and honest about her own life ending and showed me what grace and honesty can do during our transition. ​

No matter where she went, she could strike up a conversation and make people feel comfortable and welcomed in her circle of life.

I felt like I had a big sister who would do anything for me in times of need. She was LOYAL and LOVING
to her last breath.

A dear friend called to tell me she had passed an hour before and as we were talking at that exact moment the electricity went off in the whole neighborhood. I felt it as a sign from my dear friend. I took a moment of silence to bless her on her new journey.

I smile at her devotion to others. She called me last week because I was under the weather and here she was on her death bed concerned about me.

We are all so lucky to have had Davina as our friend.

It was a better world with her in it and she will be missed. ​

Davina wrote this letter in her letting go stage recently and I feel it says it all in her words:

Dear Friends,

Well, that time has come. My body’s “use by” date has been reached, and I am no longer going to be present in physical form. Some call it death; I call it a new adventure.

I have had a wonderful time using this body - a great communication tool which provided me with many wonderful experiences. Teaching, acting, dancing, painting, writing...and, most of all, getting to know all of you. I have been most fortunate in my life to have met so many extraordinary people, full of ideas, humor, talents, and the ability to create friendship. Thank you to all of you, for being in my life in one way or another.

A wonderful woman asked me recently what I will miss most about living here, on this planet. My answer sounded negative at first. I said, “This planet is really an insane asylum, so I don’t know that I will miss much. And then I said, “I will miss joy. I will miss all the glorious things that make the heart swell, that fill me up so much with love, gratitude and appreciation. Music that brings tears of joy, overwhelms with its beauty. Birds flocking in chorus in the sky, moving as one wave, a resplendent demonstration of oneness in the many. Folk dancing in lines and circles, a smile on my face and my mind empty, the sweep of movement, the connection of being with all the other dancers. Teaching - seeing the light go on when a student “gets it,” whether it is a fundamental language concept, or a philosophic idea beyond words. And finally - but never last - humor, laughter, silliness. Oh, how I love to laugh, and to make people laugh. Life is funny, filled with the most hilarious, outrageous, goofy things. Humor - real humor - has no sharp edges. Only curves that make your mouth open in glee, and your body giggle.

The greatest gifts this life has brought me are teaching, and spiritual pursuits. I can say little about the latter, because each person has his or her own way of finding what will have inner meaning, and in some cases, in a particular lifetime, that is not even an interest at all. We get caught up in everyday living, and don’t have - or take - the time to explore what is inside rather than what is outside. For me that inner pursuit has been the most important, and I tried, whenever possible, to impart some sense of the inner life to my students, whether through literature or discussion. There were times - rare - when the air grew still as students suddenly grasped an idea that, if they allowed it, would last and affect their whole lifetime.

About teaching, I will say that it has been the most significant activity of my life. I loved being able to be with young people, to watch them grow and expand, and express themselves in writing, and in acting. It has been a joy to receive word of my students through Facebook, or from other students. I think if I gave myself one gift in this lifetime, other than my spiritual pursuits, teaching was it, the center of my life, the thing that brought me joy and a sense of value. I learned more than I taught. To all my former students, I say, thank you for the opportunity to have met each of you. What a blessing it has been.
And to all of you, dear readers, thank you for reading, for feedback, and for encouragement as I sifted through ideas that came to me, and spilled them on to pages.

Love to you,
Davina
P.S. As always, if you feel inspired, please do pass this on.

Portraits had been my focus for 15 years in my early days as an artist and my first major exhibition, which opened at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in 1982, focused on the faces of 25 well known Bay Area personalities. Maya Angelou, Herb Caen, Dianne Feinstein were just a few of the notable personalities I met and painted for the show.

Fast forward to 2020 and the pandemic which turned our world upside down. It was during this time that I began to create images that came from my core values and Soulful Voices, title of my upcoming book.

I could feel the needs of the world around me. I realized then that this new work had a greater purpose.

Over my 35 years in the Napa Valley I have supported many Non Profits in their branding effort with the usage of my artwork. It was time to Give Back and Pay it Forward.

My first new Non Profit alignment in 2021 is ALS CURE Project. The MLB is dedicating June 2, 2021 as Lou Gehrig Day and the image I created titled "Lou Gehrig" is being Auctioned on both ALS CURE Project's site and Jessel Miller Website . The Final bid will happen at a Gala at Jessel Gallery in the Summer of 2022.

Campos Family Wines has graciously created a beautiful wine label with the Lou Gehrig image in support of this cause as well. They have generously added this to their new collection of wines that support non-profit organizations that are near and dear to their hearts.

“This is the biggest thing that we have been a part of,” said Michelle Campos, owner and proprietor at Campos Family Vineyards. “It is an incredible honor to produce this official label and be able to contribute to finding a cure for ALS in such a significant way.”


"I believe the best use of my art is to touch the hearts of the souls who support these causes and build a global alliance uniting our diversities. Giving back and paying it forward go hand in hand. I feel it is my time to do both " says Jessel Miller.

Story by Sasha Paulsen in the Napa Register

Product with this image available at
Jessel Miller ~Lou Gehrig Product
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Order this Wine from Campos Family Wines​