COMMISSIONS
To commission a portrait or purchase a gift certificate, just send me an email.
If you live outside the NYC / Westchester area, I will work from photos.
Here are general photo guidelines:
The photo should be fairly close up to the face, so that I can really see your features well.
Natural light is best, though not a requirement. Even better is natural light from one side of the face, as if the sun were shining on one side of you, putting the other side in some shadow. This really makes for a more interesting portrait--you'll see that most of my portraits have a light side and a dark. So if you have a window with good light, and have someone take your photo with one side to the light, that's the idea. Sometimes this works best on overcast days, because you get a nice, deep shadow.
I generally do not like to paint from photos with big smiles. I try to make the portraits from photos look as natural as the ones I paint from life, and it’s very hard to hold a natural-looking smile for an entire portrait sitting. Most people are most comfortable just relaxing their faces (which sometimes includes a small smile) while they pose, and that’s ideal for photos, too.
Bold, decisive, and dynamic are just some of the adjectives that describe Jessica Miller's work. Vibrant brushwork and vivid color embolden her canvas with a unique expression that captures the essence of her subjects. Whether painting a landscape or portrait, Jessica finds the indelible qualities that invigorate and fortify her work, leaving the viewer captivated by her interpretations of life and nature. Jessica's work seems influenced by the Fauvists of the 20th century yet remains uniquely and formidably an expression of herself and her time.
— Andrew Lattimore
Originally from northern Michigan, Jessica now makes her home in the Hudson River Valley. She is best known for her portraits, recognizable for their expressionist style and vibrant color. Particularly popular are her half-hour portraits, small paintings done in one quick sitting, which effectively capture likeness as well as mood. After graduating from the University of Michigan, Jessica studied at the School of Visual Arts and at the Art Students League in New York, with legendary painter Hananiah Harari, later continuing her studies with acclaimed portrait and landscape artist Andrew Lattimore. Her work is shown regularly in galleries in New York and hangs in private collections throughout the world.
CV
Selected Solo Exhibitions and Events
2019 Half-Hour Portraits, And James, Katonah, NY
2018 Half-Hour Portraits, And James, Katonah, NY
2018 Marsh and Sky, Good Choice Gallery, Ossining, NY
2016 Recent Work, Black Cow Gallery, Croton, NY
2015 Jessica Miller Paintings, Triumph Gallery, Princeton, NJ
2015 Half-Hour Portrait Event, Triumph Gallery, Princeton, NJ
2015 Recent Work, Farmhouse Gallery, Middletown, NY
2014 Outside, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY
2014 Local Landscape, Green Growler, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
2013 Portrait Day: Half-Hour Portrait Commissions, Katonah Museum of Art, Katonah, NY
2012 Summer at the Lodge, Kiesendahl + Calhoun Fine Art, Ltd., Woodloch, NY
2011 Near the River, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY
2011 Half-Hour Portrait Event, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY
2010 Croton Portraits, Blue Pig, Croton on Hudson, NY
2009 Hudson Landscapes and Portraits, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY
2008 Portraits and Landscapes, Brook Street Gallery, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
Selected Group Exhibitions
2022 Art for Climate Action, KinoSaito Art Center, Verplanck, NY
2022 Art Show: Bedford, Bedford, NY
2021 Made for You, Cold Spring, NY
2021 Art Show: Bedford, Bedford, NY
2020 Made for You, Croton, NY
2020 Art Show: Bedford, Bedford, NY
2010-2019 Croton Artisans Show: Half-Hour Portrait Sessions, Croton, NY
2014 Curated Collection, Fifty Artists, Denver, CO
2013 Touched by Design, Peckay-Gerber Gallery, Ossining, NY
2010 Paths to Peace, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY
2009 Interiors, Flat Iron Gallery, Peekskill, NY
2009 Top to Bottom, Edward Hopper House Art Center, Nyack, NY
2008 The Majestic Hudson, Paramount Center for the Arts, Peekskill, NY
2008 Local Artists, Brook Street Gallery, Croton-on-Hudson, NY
2006 Green, Pearson Art Gallery, White Plains, NY
2003 Salon Show, Maxwell Fine Arts, Peekskill, NY
2003 Picturing Portraits, Maxwell Fine Arts, Peekskill, NY
Publications
2023 Hello Beautiful cover art, The Dial Press
2017 The Encyclopedia of Acrylic Techniques, Search Press
2014 New York State’s Hudson River Estuary Map, Alton Media
Residencies and Teaching Experience
2022 Baer Artist Residency, Hofsos, Iceland
2017 Croton Harmon High School Artist Residency, Croton, NY
2017 Plein Air Landscape Workshop, Croton Harmon High School, Croton, NY
2016 Portrait Painting Workshop, Blanco y Blanco Studio, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2016 Portrait Painting Workshop, Croton Harmon High School, Croton, NY