About Jesse

Jesse Miller was born and grew up surfing in in San Diego. He always wanted to go to Hawaii where the water was warm, and the waves were good. When he started thinking about college, he learned about Brigham Young University- Hawaii, and couldn't think of going anywhere else. BYU-H is a small university in Laie, exactly 10 miles from Sunset Beach. He looked at all the programs they offered, and the Fine Arts program looked good. Before that, he hadn't ever really thought about art, much less producing it. But, once he got to school, he threw himself into everything head first. The surf was everything he had imagined and more, and the art program was exactly what he hoped for. He started out like any beginning art student would, but persisted and practiced and by the time he graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Art degree, he had won several awards in college art shows.


After living in Hawaii, he came back to San Diego, to continue to paint. He soon got a job with the City of San Diego as a beach lifeguard. That lets him work at the beach during the summer, and gives him all winter to concentrate on art. He finds a lot of inspiration being at the beach all day, every summer. It isn't as easy to be in touch with the ocean when you don't live right by it, and that has always been an important part of Jesse’s work, so he spends as much time there as he can. He has shown his work in galleries in Hawaii and California, and has participated in many art shows shows around San Diego. He has been asked to be a juror for several art competitions, and has done demonstrations and workshops for many art associations, including the San Diego Watercolor Society.

Almost all of Jesse’s work is inspired by the ocean. He has spent his life up to now surfing, and that plays a big role in what he sees, and what he wants to show others. Not just the act of riding a wave, but the whole culture surrounding it. But he looks to more than just surfing for inspiration. While he enjoys painting seascapes, he really loves to show how wildlife and people interact with the ocean. His main goal as an artist has always been to share the beauty and allure of the ocean, and all that happens around it. Its a beautiful thing.