Today was a fixer-uper, someone tagged the deer last week. Part of the contract is that we keep it cleaned up...so I went, with a cold and all to clean it up. From afar it's fine, but up close it's a little murky, I did'nt have any paint left from the original cans, so it was a bit of a random mixing frenzy, but not too bad! The funny thing is that the whole wall is gray, it was designed in part to work with the nature of the area it's in, ie: plenty of space to tag with out ruining the plants and animals!!! But that's o.k., I knew it would happen and am thrilled that two tags in 4 months ain't bad!!! As far as other art news goes, The Urban Share Mural, given if there is no rain and I'm not too ill,.. will hopefully be finished this week!! Yeah!! Ok., thats all for now...
Leanne C. Miller

cool panoramic photos of SFAC mural 2009

Christo from San Pancho Art Collective hooked me up with a dude who took these pics for me. soooo AWESOME!!!

and it goes, onandonandonandon!!!! 01/11/2010

Yesterday was all about details, some shading, cleaning up lines...putting little shines on the lady bug wings....just a few hours out there, had other stuff to do, but an other wise productive bit of time....
The top right are huge potatoes growing out of the ground, when all is done there will be wood cut outs "growing" out of the top as a plant. As if the mural goes beyond the box. it's painted in! And here above is a "happy little squash", as Bob Ross would say. I think you can tell from that picture you can see the textures I am dealing with, it's very difficult to paint on this surface with out it having that.."crayon" effect. I have to thin out the paint and paint each thing 2 or 3 times sometimes just to fill in all the cracks and dots that don't get paint in them. It's a lot of work to be doing for free. But it's a good cause, their garden is really coming along, they installed wall plots over an area of the wall that was chronically being graffitied over, took care of that!! See their progress at ...www.urbanshare.blogspot.com or TamaraLowenstein.wordpress.com! Thanks for checkin this out!! Don't know when I'll find time to be out again, but I hope it's soonder than later!!
-Leanne C. Miller, fanciemammal

01-04-2010 St. Paulus Muraling/ Studio Visit Magazine

Well, the holidays are over, and I'm trying to get back to normal!!! Looks like the day jobs are going to be keeping me busy, too busy, so busy that I am afraid I will not be working on the mural for a while. New Years eve I worked on the mural for 4-5 hrs, and today I got a few hours in, but not sure when I will find time again. Too bad because I have finally laid some paint down on the last panel. I could finish it in one long day or maybe two If I could just get there!!! Oh well. But here are some pics from the last two times I was out there!
In other Art news going on in my life, I have been featured in Studio Visit Magazine, who are part of the "Open Studios Press" who makes "New American Paintings", a periodical I enjoy, have subscribed to and applied to in the past. This is very exciting and hope someone takes notice. They have also chosen me for their Spring issue as well! I have also finished an oil painting lately, exciting because with all this muraling, I haven't been painting. I was able to finish it on New Years day, considering there is nothing open, and nothing to do most New Years Days! Perfect for painting and nursing hangovers... Well Thats it, nothing planned for the future right now, but working and trying to finish this never ending mural! HA!! Please leave comments and share this blog! Thank you, and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pics of muraling from last week

Top left is Rafael and myself workin on a panel with a gardening box bookended by Praying mantises, which are "helper Bugs" in any organic garden, as they eat bad bugs like afids n' stuff!! The other panels you are seeing also have garden boxes, hands, plants, gardeners, clouds and more site specific images like a Veggie cart at the cross streets of Gough and Eddy! Also This spot is the old burnt out site of the St Paulus Church so the "steeples" you see are from images I found of the church, which burnt down in 1995 or 96. The people you see here are some of the same peeps in other pics, but there is me, Leanne C. Miller, Dan Stromberg, in the blk and red shist, Rafael, an old friend from SFAI, Paul Jimenez from SPAC, and the photographer is Alexa Rose Frazier Herron, also a friend from SFAI.
Let me know what you think. but keep in mind, I am working with ALL donated materials, but the brushes we are using are mine, amoung other things. The paint was all donated from ads on Craigslist. Except 3 pints of red, yellow and blue, that were mine. I also doing this for free. I work on it when I'm not at work and it's not raining. I will be working on it again come January. A few weeks off due to rain, sickness and holiday combination. It'll be mighty cold in January, but hopefully I can get out there and finish it up quickly! Come spring there will be the beginning of a fabulouse community garden and a mural too!!! Yeah!!
Leanne C. Miller

Muraling in the freezing cold, but hey, it's still muraling!

Oh yes, It was a cold one today, the coldest so far! At 5:30 when we were all done for the day, I thought I had some sort of frost bite on my toes, being they were frozen and I couldnt even feel them! I rode my bike home, thought I'd get my blood flowing in the process, but nooooo, My toes didn't thaw for like an HR!!!
Otherwise, I have had some excellent help lately, mostly from fellow artists! Therefore this means they know what they are doing and do it well! I have to give a shout out to Rafael, an old friend from SFAI, Alexa Frasier Herron, also a buddy from SFAI, and up and coming film maker, check out her film collective Scary Cow, Dan Stromberg http://chilibean.biz/, and Paul Jimenez from San Pancho Art Collective. These people are so hard core that they painted with me all day, even in the 40 degree weather! I love the feeling of community I am getting lately!
Speaking of community, San Pancho Art Collective had its first ever fundraiser! Not sure how much we raised but it was so much fun! I was raffle girl, I tried to speak on stage but my voice didn't carry like Socratese! Our MC for da night and SPAC member, Persia on stage was on fire! Her voice carried us thru the raffle with ease and clarity!!! We raffled off all kinds of goodies, like origional art from nining Muir, and a live painting made right there in front of everyone by Eli Lippert from Precite Eyes Murals!!! It was a hit BTW!!! Every one wanted that piece! It was crazy!! I recommend next time we do this event, YOU SHOULD GO!!! We even did it up with free BBQ!!
Anyhow, Its been busy busy round here!! Come check out da mural at gouph and eddy, ya gotta check it out thru a chain link fence but it's lookin good, only have 2 panels left to start on, out of nine! I'm so proud of all us SF artists makin it happen!! I lost my camera, hopefully I will be able to start posting photos again, Santa are you listening!!! Ha! OK thanks for reading, have a great couple days until I can post again!!!

Tonight at A bar....Dirty Thieves....

Art Show at Dirty Thieves, formerly known as Treat St. Bar, 24th and treat, south of Folsom St. 7:30pm-...well probably 2AM!! Come and see art, a group show, I have 3 pieces in it, there will also be sculpture and all kinds a stuff, drink specials ETc!!! Come on out, have fun and support!!
-Leanne C. Miller
www.myspace.com/dirty_thieves.com