I have been incredibly busy this summer, I can't even begin to explain, but I was hired to do a mural with at risk youth in Amado, a small town 40 miles south of Tucson, I took the job, which lead to another job, working at the Youth Center itself and a slew of other fun things. Here is a blurb on the mural I wrote recently for a local newspaper:

" Kids from Amado of all ages have been participating in a project that boosts confidence and builds team working skills while keeping them off the streets and is also a lot of fun! I, Leanne C. Miller, along with Compass behavioral Health care, worked with the community in Amado and Green Valley and the other surrounding areas to select some visuals that represented the spirit of the area and it's people. After many meetings and working with the kids at the youth center, I came up with a final drawing which consisted of Elephant Head rock and surrounding landscapes, the Longhorn grill, the Amado Territory, the youth center along with native flora and fauna. Bob and Amy at the De Anza RV park in Amado donated space for us to paint in, and the painting begun after I drew on the images onto the wood panels. The mural, when finished will span 32 feet, and will be 6ft tall! We should be done mid August, just in time for school! When it's done it will sit at the La Sombrilla next to Kristofer's restaurant in Amado, Az. The mural will also travel locally, an exciting aspect that most murals don't have, it will go to local festivals and fairs all over southern Arizona. Keep an eye out mid August for an opening party for the mural we hope to have.

    For more information on Leanne C. Miller, a Graduate student in Fine Art at U of A, see her work atwww.fanciemammal.blogspot.com , for commissions and murals, contact her at oilpaint27@gmail.com.  Also see compasshealthcare.org , befreepima.org , abass@compasshc.org."

Here are the finished original sketches!

 "Elephant Head Rock" over the Amado Territory and the "Long Horn Grill" : above

                                          The Youth Center and the YOUTH! of course!

And,...some fun pics!!

Indiana, her bother Choco and Johnny paintning away!!!

                                           Ok, a selfie.....and the kiddos, working away on 32 feet of mural!

We had a full house this day! Indiana, Johnny, Nettie from Sahaurita High school,  sistersTamika, Kalika and their little brother Mario!

Me, Indiana, Mario, back ground, Nettie(blue hair) Johnny and Kalika and Tamika waaay in the back, 32 feet away!

After a long day of hard work!

Funny face shots....

me n the kids, I'm one of the short ones....

"Roam" by Amelia Konow at Pure Beauty Salon June 2011

I am sad to announce that this Friday June 3rd will be the last First Friday show at Pure Beauty on haight street. But on the other hand, I am proud to have Amelia Konow's Photographs in "Roam".

Friday June 3rd 2011, "Roam" by Amelia Konow

6-9pm, snacks and refreshment will be served as always, and please feel free to BYOB if 2buck chuck doesnt suit your taste.

Amelia describes this show as:

In the past three years I have moved across America twice and traveled to Turkey, Holland, France and Panama. While on these trips I carried my Poloroid camera with me, to capture landscapes and abstract compositions. My surroundings were constantly changing and each place was a new experience seen with fresh eyes. The plane and car rides in between always left me drifting off and daydreaming about my adventures, often while watching the clouds. Between the towns and the various citites I traversed the only thing that stayed the same was that everything was guaranteed to change. Roam is the story of my journey - not just the places in between.

-Amelia Konow

Thank you for reading this blog, hopefully a new opportunity will present it's self to me and I will be able to keep curating somewhere. It has been a wonderful opportunity to show my friends art and help artists to have their first solo shows. But maybe it's my turn to have the art shows. Maybe I will find time to paint more, and perfect my craft. I just don't know where I am going artistically, but I know I have an apartment full of art work, and a head full of ideas. Hopefully some of them are good enough to make me stand out in some way.

Almost done with mural at "Bite Me' sandwiches, 17th and so. Vanness

Below, you'll see the origional drawing for "Bite Me" sandwiches mural, although side ways.
the "Bite Me" logo, also not finished in this photo. More info below.

Davey helped a little when I was too tired to reach, or just too short.

I have been trying to finnish a mural for my buddy Issacs Sandwich shop this month ( and last), but it's hard when I am on my tip toes on a ladder. I had scaffolding for a few days, but it wasn't mine, so now it's back to ladder status. Hopefully today is the last time I have to do this. It's turned out cool, here are some pics, I'll update when it's officially done! maybe tonight.

Dan Strombergs opening jan 2011 at pure beauty

Dan's Pure Beauty Opening! Jan 2011

Here are pics from Pure Beauty, Dan Stromberg's show of new drawings.

see his animation demo reel at chili bean.biz!

Dan sold a few pieces,

quite a few respected fellow artists came thru. Helen Bayly, fellow Mural artist, recently was awarded with fellow artist, Bo Heimlich a mural in the Polk street mural project!!! Wow! She also was a co-muralist in the 180 ft long mural on market street. Such a talented girl. Alex Braubach, awsome artist, and co-curator at the Evergold Gallery.

Back to Dan, his drawings, when covered in glass sort of turn it into mirrors. so there is no reason to try to take pics of it for the blog. Therefore these are just crowd pics. Please go and see, and look at these extremly low priced pieces for all their glory, and maybe even buy one, price point, $2.50-$60.00! No Joke!! thanks you all for reading my blog, pass it along, and come to the shows at both Pure Beauty and Incline Gallery!

-Leanne, Da Fancie Mammal

"Free to Fail" new Drawings by Dan Stromberg at Pure Beauty

Proud to announce Dan Stromberg will be having all new work up at the Salon at Pure Beauty. 1560 haight street, haight at clayton, upstairs!

curated by me,

Leanne C. Miller da Fancie Mammal

Dan Stromberg's (AKA Chili Bean Paste Bucket) Statement about what this work represents to him.

" This work is not about reinventing the wheel.

I just wanted to draw from a gut level. A good dosage of failure will help acknowledge the merits of a success. Jump off a cliff. Seduced by an evil nectar into a bloody pulp. If you have ever felt the cathardic relief of just sayiny "Fuck it", then you are free. You are free to fail."

-Dan "Chili Bean" Stromberg

New Incline Gallery opening, and announcing Yuka Ezoe opening at Pure Beauty friday Dec.10th

I will start with the announcement of the great artist, Yukako Ezoe's opening 6-8pm at Pure Beauty Salon on Haight street. We are a week late this time, so it will not coincide with the haight st art walk, but that matters not. Yuka went to San Francisco Art Institute, and currently teaches mural classes and works with the Precita Eyes mualists while showing at bay area galleries, she recently had a show at N.O. on Valencia Street in San Francisco. Yukako makes collage/mixed media work, using brightly colored whimsical characters, often including animals from Octopi to lions, to express her ideas of cultural awareness to improve social conditions and promote the idea of beauty in diversity. The show is as usual, 6-8pm at 1650 haight st San Francisco, at Clayton street. Please come upstairs in our salon/gallery, and behold Yuka's work, she will also have her jewelry for sale that night, great for gifts this holiday season, No?? ( She sells this jewelry all over the bay area, Portland and New York, hot stuff huh?) There will be wine and treats to enjoy, so please come out and support!!! For more information see Bahamakangaroo.etsy.com for her jewelry, and Yukakoezoe.com for her artwork.

Next is the very exciting news of my art collectives opening of the Incline Gallery. San Pancho art collective started a few years ago by my good friend Christo Oropeza. I immediately jumped on board knowing it was a great opportunity and that Chris was a dreamer with the drive to make it happen. Since then we have had two successful and fun fundraisers both at El Rio in the mission, and participated in many art walks, including our first group show at Pure Beauty Salon about a year ago. Chris has wokred hard for us to get a great website, http://www.sanpanchoartcollective.com/, and had presences at festivals and art conventions. The Inclines Grand Opening "Something from Nothing" was a smash hit! Huge turn out, and we even sold a few pieces of work, incredible for a first time homespun group of 20-early 30 somethings!! Respected people such as Alam Bamberger of Artbuisness.com and SanFranciscoartbeat.com came thru. Sf art beat.com gave a rave review as the number one "Cool art collectives" in the Bay Area! See: http://http//sanfranciscoartbeat.com/2010/09/28/some-cool-art-collectives-in-the-bay-area/. Our gallery hrs this week, dec 13th-19th are: Wed. 12-6, fri 2-8, sat 12-5, and sunday 2-8pm. O.k., enouph, here are some photo's!

Photos from Wyeths opening nov 2010

Wheth Bowarts opening had a small but fun and appreciative crowd, the work looks awesome in the salon. I almost just want to keep it up! enjoy the photos.

-Leanne C. Miller