We’ve made it to December! The days are short and the city is full of twinkling lights. We’re experiencing some real cold for once, and I’ve been mostly inside working on BEACONS, my upcoming solo exhibition at Queer Arts Featured focusing on neon signs and queer spaces. Don’t forget to read all the way to the end of the newsletter to see a photo of my cat, Ruby!

My figure drawing group, Sketchboard, has been on winter hiatus, but came back for a fantastic mini model marathon at Madrone on Giving Tuesday. We had 6 models who generously volunteered their time for the event, and we crammed tons of 5 minute drawings into just two hours. Artists filled the bar to the brim! Here are some of my favorite drawings from the event:

For even more figure drawing in this dark time, I’ve been to the Dickens Fair twice and attended the Pre-Rafaelite drawing salon at the Athenaeum Club.

On the first weekend, we got to draw the models with live birds, and on the second we did an homage to Sargent's Lady Macbeth and Madame X, from live models. I also snuck in a sketch of Edgar Allan Poe while he was reading!

Aside from these little breaks, I have been hard at work in the studio. The BEACONS paintings are larger, in a new style, and a new painting process for me. I am feeling energized and overwhelmed by the task of creating this whole new series under a deadline.

BEACONS will be opening February 6 in conjunction with the Castro Art Walk, and is also timed with the re-opening of the Castro Theater. Both Queer Arts Featured and I are grappling with and holding space for mixed feelings around the restoration/renovation of the theater and Another Planet Entertainment’s choices and management. I’m delighted to see the neon sign working and for the theater to be a center for community and culture again, and I can’t wait to see all the interior details cleaned up and restored. 

I worry about APE’s plans and intentions and I was not happy about the theater seats being taken out, but they donated a portion of the sale of the seats to Oasis Arts. I am also concerned about the potential removal of two local businesses, Castro Coffee and Castro Nail Salon. I hope that they will follow through on their promises to continue to show films in addition to their already scheduled film festivals and not just have concerts. It’s great to be able to look at the film schedule and pop in to the theater any old time. 

BEACONS is a chance to sit with these complex feelings and to honor the past with hope for the future.

It’s not just about the Castro Theater, though. So far I have also painted Oasis’s iconic lightbulb sign, the HOT COOKIE window neon, Twin Peaks, and Queer Arts Featured’s own sign, made by Ames Palms of Rebel Neon.

I’m thinking about places that are iconic, that are open late, have historical value, are queer safe spaces, and that I personally love. What are your favorite signs and late night spots in the city? Start thinking about it, because we are planning a storytelling evening and we will have cards in the gallery for visitors to share their stories with us.

It’s not just painting, though, I’m also doing research and digging into the subject matter in parallel. I read San Francisco Neon: Survivors and Lost Icons by Al Barna and Randall Ann Homan, and I took their downtown walking tour! It was exciting to learn about the history of neon in the city, as well as a little about how neon signs are made and what gives them their colors. Make sure to check out their website and sign up for upcoming tours.

I have postcards for BEACONS, and if you’d like me to send you one, just reply to this email with your mailing address! I won’t use it for anything else.  

I’ve had several requests for prints of my 500 Club painting which sold from the show at Madrone Art Bar recently, and they are here! There are only ten, so if you wanted one, respond to this email and we can make it happen!

If you’ve been reading my newsletter a while, you have probably noticed that I always plug CROONERS. I am the doorman for the show, and it’s my favorite night of the month. Now there’s a separate newsletter you can follow for all things Fancypants! Fancypants produces a few shows, including CROONERS and a quarterly show that has been at Oasis and will take place at The STUD starting in February. On Mondays in January, we will also have SWITCH/BOARD, an improvised radio play, also at Stookey’s Blue Room. 

Fancypants is a collective of drag artists bringing thoughtful and interesting shows to San Francisco. We like to say that the shows don’t have a theme, they have a thesis. The shows are planned like the season of a regional theater, and the artists come together months in advance to discuss their concepts.

Sign up for the Fancypants newsletter for upcoming show announcements and discount codes! You can also check out the Fancypants website to see photos from previous shows and read about the artists involved. 

Thanks for reading my newsletter! As a reward, here is a picture of Ruby.

While you await the next newsletter, you can check out my website to see my portfolio of cityscapes, still lifes, block prints, figure drawings, tiny model houses, murals, and you can also find information on commissions! Commissions are closed until April, but reach out with your ideas for projects that can be completed April or later.

Stay tuned for next month, and let me know what you’d like to hear about in the newsletter in the future.

-Nathaniel J. Bice

he/him

njbice.com