Last nights Sketch tuesday and Cafe Royale flier for may 6th

Here is the flier for my art show at Cafe Royale May 6th. The pressure is on, I had only about 1 mo. to finish all new paintings. For those of you saying they have seen this painting, yes, this was finished in Oct 2009, but everything else is BRAND NEW!! I am nervous tho, I am confident in my paintings, but getting them finished in time in a way that satisfies me is what worries me, but It'll be workin away everyday till I hang them on the 2nd.
On to fun last night at 111Minna sketch Tuesdays! I met Jenny Bird, (http://www.jennybirdart.com/) an amazing female artist who was recently published in High Fructose periodical art book. She is super nice, and very talented. I also met many other great people, sold a piece or two, but Dan Stromberg (chilibeanpastebucket.blogspot.com) did even better! He sold everything he made, except he gave one to Last Gasp Creator and art critic Ron Turner. www.lastgasp.com. Here are some photos.

Re-cap of art shows this weekend!!! Helen Bayly, akira beard, katie gray, and Micke Tong! The Evergold!

Starting Thursday, there is a whirl wind of art shows, but it's not just first Thursday! Lets start, first things first, Helen Bayly , "OH MOTHER", all new paintings at Cafe Royale Thursday April 1st. I am excited because this is my friend that helped me make " Find yourself in natural history", the mural I did on 6th and market for the San Francisco Arts Commission last fall. Her new work is amazing, well painted and has an interesting concept. Cafe Royal is located at 800 post st. at Leavenworth in the TL. Also on Thursday, The Evergold will have " American Cinema and Viva Novelitas".
Friday is the Haight st Art walk, though Pure Beauty is really the only long lasting main stay of the first fridays event. Any how, Katie Gray, a truly bay area artist, went to UC Santa Cruz, CCA and lives in Oakland. She does tattoo's in oakland, and makes her mixed media paintings there also. Her newest work is painting and drawing combined, on paper, and there are a few paintings on panel as well. She has morphed human and animal together with stark backgrounds. Come and see her new work, 6-8 pm, 1560 Haight st, Haight at Clayton, Friday April 2nd!
Saturday there are two shows going on, It will be hard to decide which to go to. White walls is having a group show, " New Territory". My friend {and Helen Bayly's Beau} Akira Beard will be in this show, but the other exciting part is that I helped Helen paint a mural/ backdrop on a wall for aki's paintings there! Aki's work is amazing, and has a high entertainment value, pop culture turned on it'd head, add a little portraiture with a splash of philosophy and you have Aki's newest works. Only Akira could put Snoop Dog and Walt Whitman in the same room and make it make sense. White walls gallery is at835 larkin st betewwn geary and o'farrell.
Also on saturday in the TL, Micke Tong is at the public barber salon, in "Ground Control". micke is an old friend o' mine from back in the day when Ar+space gallery was rockin the SOMA hard. His new work is about faith, philosophy, and shedding light on such things as MECCA. It's very interesting, and they are 3 dimensional paintings, sculptures, very different and cool, what a brain on that guy huh? see his interview at his studio at www.the sardonian.wordpress.com, or micketong.com.
O.k, guys, good stuff, I'll see youat all of these events this weekend!!
-Leanne C. Miller
fanciemammal

Final stages!!! urban share 2010

Well, it's been a long time comin, but the mural is nearing completion. I haven't worked on it in weeks due to working at my regular day jobs 7 days a week for months now. As you can see it is no longer a depressing vacant lot, but the beginnings of a lovely garden!!! What a fantastic site and an honor to have worked on it. Urban share.org is amazing and wonderfully laid back, which is great due to my taking so long to finish it. Thursday I got my friend Vanessa to varnish it while I painted accents on the pilars of vines growing on sticks, better than metal colums I suppose. The curator Tamara Lowenstein has asked me repeatedly what I was going to do with them, I just said," We'll get there when we get there", and were there now! I wasn't sure if anything was gonna be incorporated, but I just couldn't leave them blank. Dan and Vanessa Varela from San Pancho Art Collective helped me all day, then out for a few margeritas after! Nice day!












My muscle man pose is on top of a pile of manure, like fertilizer, nothing was gonna get in my way of these finishing touches! Although I am not quite done, maybe one more coat of varnish and some more vines painted between the panels, but then it will be done. On to the next I hope! The SFAC Street Smarts program is starting off a little slow, haven't been paired up with a property owner yet. But thats o.k., They said it could be up to a year! I should book something in between I suppose If I wanna keep on the mural tip, which I do. Especially now that it's spring and summer, gloriouse summer!
Next week is going to be crazy busy!
Monday I am helping my friend Aki
at the White walls gallery for an opening
that will be on april 2nd. Aki, (also known as Akira Beard), is having myself and his girlfriend, Helen Bayly paint a mural
as a back drop for his work. I am excited as Whitewalls is super awesome, Aki is super awesome and I get to work with Helen again on something large scale!! She helped me do the mural on 6th and market, " Find Yourself in Natural History". Also April 1st Helen is having an opening at Cafe Royal 7-10pm in the tenderloin, at 800 post st. Her paintings are amazing! and I mean amazing!! Also next week is The haight st. Art walk, Pure Beauty will be featuring Katie Gray 6-8pm!! Yeah!! Thats friday the 2nd. I will be at PB till 8 and then on down to white walls 8 till obliteration station!! woohoo!!!
-Leanne C. Miller

Haight St. Art Walk at Pure Beauty!!!! Katie Gray

Katie Gray is a painter, please see her web site, www.katiegray.info, and also a tattoo artist in the San Francisco Bay area. She is fantastic and I would love for everyone to come out and support her next month for the Haight Street Art walk! I haven't curated at Pure Beauty since Nov 09. This will be the first one in months. I am excited and look forward to seeing you all, light refreshments and wine will be served. Here is the Stats,
Pure Beauty Salon on Haight st, at haight and Clayton
1560 Haight st
up stairs in the salon.
Friday April 2nd
5-8pm
Artist: Katie Gray, curated by Leanne C. Miller

making of a painting..first stages feb. 2010

I have started two new paintings dealing with the idea of "Infanticide" in nature regarding a mother cannibalizing their young. They are not done, but I thought I'd put the progression of a painting up on my site, demystifying the artists process, haha no...really...






Here is a close up of the "wallpaper" stencil I made. done with spray paint and painted around in pink enamel. As you can see from some of the pics I used blue painters tape to segregate some of the color streams.

The raccoon is fixed, me and Helen made it out there today. There were a bunch of other tags too, we got em all...hopefully there will be no more.
Yeah!

music and art shows tonight 02/06/10

Hello all,
Tonight as always, there is a smorgusborg of things to do, there are two highlights in my eyes tho. Helen A. Bayly, the painter of great racoon and hawk etc.. on the mural I did with her at 6th and market, has a formal art show tonight at the new Driftwood gallery. You say drift what? well, it's new, The Driftwood gallery at 39 Isis Alley across the street from Rainbow Grocery... I believe it is from 7-10pm. I will be there for sure around 8pm, and you should too! Her work is amazing and evolves so rapidly, just when you thought her work was reaching a crux, she shoots higher. The paintings she has in the works are so amazing, but come see her finished works at Driftwood, please, you will not regret. She is a little like me, and Josh Keyes mixed together with her own awesome spin....Don't miss out!
Secondly, a buddy (Micheal Chominsky) here at the SF MOMA has a show, at KIMO's Tonight! Please see www.kimosbarsf.com and check the Calendar. They go on at 9pm.. O.k., gotta go back to work..
-LCM!!