“Keep close to Nature's heart... and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."

-John Muir

Born and raised in California, painter Bailey Miller has always had nature right at her back door. Her exploration began with road trips along Highway 1, backpacking in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and eventually progressed into adventures that crossed state lines. Nature has continually had her heart. She was born with a soul for adventure, eager to see the sublime, untouched beauty of God's creation. She currently resides in the Inland Northwest where she sources her inspiration from her time spent in the abundant natural beauty that surrounds her.

Bailey always enjoyed drawing but did not pick up painting until her freshman year of college. She grew up in Norco, California where she put all her childhood time and energy into playing tennis. With great aspirations of becoming a professional tennis player, her goals were abruptly cut short by a career ending injury, which upon high school graduation led her to choosing a university without a tennis team.

< Alabama Hills Sunrise

Bailey attended California State University, Monterey Bay and studied kinesiology with an emphasis in athletic training, however, nature was abundant on the Monterey Peninsula which soon sparked her adventurous side. During a freshman year elective class, she received an assignment requiring painting supplies. One thing led to another and before long she was painting landscapes from all of the beautiful places she explored in Northern California. In 2013, she decided to take the plunge and transfer colleges in order to pursue a degree in art.

    She graduated in 2016 from California State University, Fullerton with a degree in Fine Arts. During her education, she explored many avenues in the art world; dabbling in animation, illustration, sculpting, drawing, and of course, painting. The various disciplines allowed Bailey to refine her talents and approach painting with a greater understanding of techniques and the use of color.

She began to develop her own sense of artistic style that embodied a contemporary approach to landscape painting. Early on she had the desire to capture things realistically and to this day views every painting as an opportunity to learn something new and refine her techniques.

“Painting is an ever evolving skill that can truly never be mastered.”  

Cracker Lake, Glacier National Park, MT >

Both during college and in the years following, Bailey had the opportunity to explore much of California which is ultimately what inspired her love for painting her adventures. Over a decade later the adventures never cease to provide ample inspiration as she continues to climb more mountains, take more road trips and never stop exploring. 

At the conclusion of college she moved to Grover Beach, CA where her professional art career began. She participated in a variety of local opportunities and displayed her work in a gallery in Morro Bay. Bailey later relocated to southern California to explore all the opportunities available to artists, specifically in Laguna Beach. While living in Orange County, she displayed her work in gallery exhibitions, obtained a residency within the Artist Eye Gallery in Laguna Beach, as well as participated in the internationally juried Laguna Art-A-Fair for many years.

In 2022 she relocated to the Northwest where she has since participated in fine art shows throughout the region as well as numerous gallery exhibitions and ultimately found “home”! She continues to display her work at the Artist Eye Gallery in Laguna Beach, the Mono Arts Council Gallery in Mammoth Lakes and participates in fine art shows and gallery exhibitions annually in the Northwest and California. Bailey has been a member of several fine arts associations, and is currently a member of the Orange County Fine Arts Association. Her work has been published in Local Arts Magazine, Art Patron, American Art Collector Magazine, Arts to Hearts Magazine as well as the Xanadu Gallery Catalogue.

< Mount Bailey Trail, OR

Bailey’s love of nature and adventure go hand in hand with her passion for painting, with every hike and outdoor exploration, her desire to paint grows. Bailey loves how a painting has the ability to bring to life the memories of an adventure even after it is over. So many paintings she has done over the years have been glimpses into past experiences: a moment of absolute peace on her hike up Mount Whitney, an unforgettable beach scene from a tropical getaway with her family… and the list could go on.

With her creations, Bailey aims to capture a moment, a personal memento that embodies a special place in time. It is through painting her own adventures that she really began doing the same for others with their own memories. She thrives on the joy derived from the unexpected discoveries, the once in a lifetime views and the unforgettable triumphs.

Bailey hopes that no matter how small the adventure may seem, we always remember to collect those special moments, whether in a photo album, a jar, or a painting... Collect them and hold them close, for they are the beams of light that remind us of how good life is, and just how bright and beautiful this world can be. 

...the sea shell from the quiet walk through the fog on Marina State Beach, the family photos on the houseboat at Lake McClure, a scoop of gravel from the summit of your highest hiked peak, the painting of the alpine glow lighting up the sky as you finish your final day of backpacking through the Sierra Nevada…

Wild by Nature