Bio

Debbie Rose Miller is a late-bloomer when it comes to painting, though her friends would probably say that she has always bloomed in other creative ways – making beautiful spaces, offering hospitality, designing colorful and tasty meals, and dabbling in a variety of crafts that let her amass shamefully huge stashes of yarn, fabric, and mixed media art supplies over the years.   

After several decades as an environmental consultant, she decided to follow her heart into the helping professions.  Now she is a licensed mental health counselor, creative depth coach, and spiritual director, in addition to being a passionate artist and art educator. 

Debbie’s journey into painting began in March 2016, when she was introduced to the Daily Painting Movement.  She discovered – at 58 years old – that if you practice something every day, you really do get better (and have more fun).  Debbie and Brian (her husband and creativity co-conspirator) were hooked!  Today, over 6 years later, they cannot imagine their lives without this rich discipline.   

Debbie and Brian also share a heart for helping people discover and take steps forward in expressing their creativity. This desire motivated them to develop They Make Art University, an online source for high-quality art classes that can help beginning and established artists develop or invigorate their creative practices, build their skills, and grow in creative confidence.  

Artist Statement 

“Beauty will save the world.” -- Dostoyevsky 

I resonate with the deep truth of Dostoyevsky’s words. I choose to create paintings that capture small moments of beauty.  And yet, these small moments bring us close to larger realities. I love the genre of still life painting because it affords me daily conversations with beauty as revealed in the mundane objects on my kitchen counter or the exquisite extravagance of a flower’s architecture, color, and scent.  This chance to deeply observe what is around me and create in response to that stimulus feels like a holy journey, every time that I do it. 

“Art is the mirror…in which we can see our true collective face. We must honor its sacred function.” – Alice Walker 

While I believe that art is a source of joy and beauty and delight, I also recognize it as a sacred storyteller that can help us heal and grow as individuals and communities.  My daily painting practice invites me to enter into a larger story of the triumph of creativity over nothingness and connection over isolation. When I share my artwork with others, I become part of a grand act of dissidence -- releasing hope and possibility into a world that is often fueled by polarity and despair. 

“The process of blooming is as valuable as the flower it produces.”  -- Aundi Kolber 

I am committed to being a lifetime learner, and painting is an avenue that will never disappoint. It’s wonderful when a finished painting achieves my intentions, capturing a mood or feeling or likeness in meaningful ways. But I know that the act of painting, the dailiness of my practice, the commitment to show up and face my easel every day is in many ways more important than the outcomes. By living out my creativity, I believe that I am releasing more life-giving energy, love, integrity, and generosity into the world. And this belief, along with a desire to share that adventure with others, keeps me inspired and committed to my studio practice.