This month’s newsletter is full of adventures! From my recent trip to Ashland, Oregon, to the Pelican Inn at Muir Beach, and a day in Sausalito, to the upcoming Frank Bette Paint Out in Alameda, I’m wandering and painting all over the place. 

But first, I am most excited to reveal my finished BEACONS of History mural, right here in San Francisco!

The BEACONS of History mural honors queer venues of the Tenderloin and San Francisco. Neon signs are a proclamation: “we are here!” – which is not something that queer spaces have always been able to do. 

All of the signs in my mural depict places that are closed, except for Aunt Charlie’s, which continues to be a center of drag and underground culture to this day. Divas, formally known as The Motherlode, is the most recently shuttered place depicted in my mural, and was special as a place conceived especially as a trans bar. 

Finocchio’s and Mona’s are rare early examples, from North Beach, where cross dressing as entertainment flourished as part of the tourist industry as early as the 1930’s. Then followed a period of crackdowns and fearmongering that put queer spaces back into the dark, until through resistance efforts we won our rights to gather together and be visible. Queer bars and entertainment venues started putting up neon signs in the 60’s and 70’s, and their signage and storefronts, including Club 181 and the Frolic Room, were captured by photographer Henri Leilue. 

I hope that people in the neighborhood who see the mural will get curious and learn about these places that offered sanctuary, education, culture, and freedom to the queer community throughout the history of San Francisco, and keep those stories and history alive. 

Compton’s was a cafe and was the site of a pre-stonewall uprising against police brutality. This August will be the 70 year anniversary. You can find out more about that event by attending this immersive theatrical production put on by the Tenderloin Museum!

You can see my mural along with five others, especially the one on the far left by my friend Apollo Fisher, at 64 Golden Gate!

I just got back from my annual trip to Ashland to see the Oregon Shakespeare Festival! Though my participation in theater is limited to the occasional set model these days, I still like to keep my toes in. I was excited to see Tim Bond’s first full season as the Artistic Director, since I knew him from his time at TheaterWorks here in the Bay Area. If you’re going up, A Raisin in the Sun and Come From Away are not to be missed! 

I always make time to paint while visiting Ashland. You can find postcards, prints, and two of my original paintings from last year at The Crown Jewel, right on Main st! They have been so lovely to work with.

This year I did two more paintings, one on Main st featuring the beautiful Ashland Springs Hotel, and one a little further from the primary tourist zone: an historic gas station turned meditation center.

Every once in a while, I am hired to do a live painting during a wedding! A few weeks ago, I painted during a beautiful ceremony at the Pelican Inn. This was planned over a year ago, and introduced me to the Pelican Inn. I was so excited about it that I went there for my birthday back in December! It was lovely to see it in the summer and to paint it as a keepsake for the happy couple.

At 11”x14”, this was large for a plein air piece! I kept Danny Folkman’s lessons in mind (read more in last month’s newsletter), and carefully observed all the different colors of reflected light in the shadowed sides of the building.

“Open Air” is currently up at Anälog gallery! Five artists and 88 paintings, all made outdoors on location. You have two chances left to see it: Saturday the 18th and Saturday the 25th. 

We’re only a couple weeks away from this year’s Frank Bette Paint Out!

I’m excited to announce that I will be doing a gouache demonstration on the big exhibit day, Saturday, August 1st. Join us at 10:30am at the South Shore Center in Alameda to see me create a painting from start to finish! 

That will also be your opportunity to see all 40 artists’ paintings from the week. My friends Mila Kirillova, Danny Folkman, Kate Rado, and Karen Fiene will all be participating in the paint out and will each have their own display.

There’s also an opportunity to paint with us earlier in the week during the community paint out on July 29th. Find out more about how to participate here!

Last month, I went on a painting adventure to Sausalito with Mila Kirillova, with the express purpose of painting in oil. Mila was kind enough to guide me through the process. Of course, the boat that we were both painting left halfway through. It may not be my favorite painting of all time, but I am excited to play more with oils in the future.

Afterwards, we visited the Bay Model– something I’d heard of and been meaning to see for a long time. I had been picturing something like the model of New York City in the Queens Museum, but I was completely wrong. It’s not really for looking at— it’s a football field sized scientific instrument made to predict the effects of tide and flood on the entire San Francisco Bay.

Originally constructed in the 50’s, it required dozens of scientists to run a simulation. Now, it’s been completely replaced by computer modeling, but is free to visit and enjoy. It’s full of exhibits and information, and these eerie midcentury telephone circles for audio content. There’s also an exhibit about the animals of the Bay Area, and about the history of Sausalito and the Marinship. It is fascinating, and you should definitely check it out. 

Thanks for reading! As a reward, here is a picture of Ruby, who is against the idea of me traveling anywhere.

While you await the next newsletter, you can check out my website to see my portfolio.

I have prints available in small businesses around San Francisco! Find them at: Queer Arts Featured, Fleet Wood, SF Mercantile, and Locali.

Stay tuned for next month, and let me know what you’d like to hear about in the newsletter in the future by responding directly to this email or reaching out at nathaniel@njbice.com.

-Nathaniel J. Bice

he/him

njbice.com