How I did 15 paintings in 5 days! Plus commemorating special moments with paintings
This month, I’m going to bring you along on my full week of plein air painting, share two paintings commemorating big changes in the lives of my friends, and look ahead to my first open studios! Make sure to get to end of the newsletter to see a picture of my cat, Ruby!
I’ll be participating in ArtSpan’s Open Studios for the first time this year, in conjunction with Suze Riley in her space at 1942 Divisadero. We’re part of the October 4-5 weekend, and we will also have Lauren Crasco showing with us! Stop by to see our work, find pieces that have never shown in a gallery, and get an insider look into our artistic practices.
My gouache class last month sold out, thank you to everyone who participated and opened their minds to my way of painting! We had a strong group who not only did excellent work, but also helped each other along the way.
It’ll probably be a while before I do another gouache class, but keep an eye out here for the announcement and let me know if you’d like to sign up for the next one!
This month, I made two paintings for important moments that were happening for people in my life. The first was for my friend Lauren Gunderson, who also happens to be one of the most well produced playwrights in the world today, and is moving from San Francisco to London. Her house here had a stunning view, and I managed to capture it before it was too late, so that she could bring it with her.
The second special moment painting was for my friends Polly Amber Ross (CROONERS regulars know her!) and Nic Candido, at their wedding! They invited me to paint during their small ceremony up on Strawberry Hill, the top of the island inside of Blue Heron Lake in Golden Gate Park. I worked for an hour or so before the ceremony started, and then it was over quickly in terms of painting time. I did my best to capture the colorful, wonderful crowd of friends and family who gathered to support them. I had never attempted to paint a group of people like this, but sometimes what comes out in the moment is just the right thing.
Afterwards, there was a big celebration at Oasis with an unforgettable iteration of Fancypants! You can see photos from the event in the Fancypants Archive.
I kicked off this month with the annual Frank Bette Paint Out in Alameda! This was my third time participating, and their 20th anniversary. I pushed hard and did fifteen paintings over the five days of the event! One of the best things about this event is being inspired by and learning from other painters.
Mila Kirillova was once again by my side, and this time we were also joined by Danny Folkman, who came up from LA for this; he’s become a real pal! Here’s a taste of what it’s like to dedicate yourself to nothing but painting for a week– something that all my other responsibilities rarely allow me to do!
Day 1:
Mila and I had been at CROONERS the night before (scroll to the end of the newsletter for links to the next show!), so we didn’t try to start super early in the morning. Against all odds and weather predictions, it was a bright and sunny day. We wandered around the Pacific Marina and I caught sight of a curving path with two trees and a view of the Oakland hills behind us, and we were off!
We had already arranged for our second location: Danny made friends with the owner of a classic VW camper van to park near Alameda’s famous palm-lined Burbank St. He was gracious enough to park right where we asked and to hang out for two and a half hours while we three painted! Afterwards, we all went to the reception for a little rest and refreshment, and to greet the other painters and the volunteers. After that, I changed my plan to paint the movie theater at night and went all the way out to the Main St. Ferry terminal, to take advantage of the rare clear night to paint the glowing SF city skyline.
I had always wanted to paint at Cafe Jolie on Webster, so Mila and I made a point of starting our day there, and they graciously allowed us to set up in the shade of their parklet. Afterwards, we scouted around Grand in preparation for the next day’s Quick Draw (a special event within the paint out with a more limited painting area and time), and eventually ended up back at the gallery.
I had noticed the previous afternoon that the house across the street made a fantastic shadow, so I raced the sun to catch just the right moment, while Mila painted the gallery itself. Then we scouted around some more and ended up at Park and Central, right around the corner from the movie theater. We discovered Geoff Allen already there, impressively capturing the entire scene including the movie theater. We both looked East, down Park, instead of facing the movie theater.
The morning of Day 3 was the Quick Draw– cloudy, as expected. Thanks to our advance scouting, we went right to the end of Grand, where there is a boat launch. Mila and I ended up painting the same set of palm trees from different angles, and Danny painted the rows of docked boats. Several other painters were in the same area with us. We handed in our paintings and put them up for display, then headed back out for an afternoon session while the sale was up at the South Shore Center.
Once again, we scouted around for a while before finally settling in Lincoln Park, where I found an intriguing view through redwoods out to yet another palm tree, and a shop with a sign poking out into the sunlight. We then waited for sundown and painted nocturnes of the Alameda Theatre, which is something of a tradition to attempt. Danny joined us there to finish his painting started the night before.
Day 4 was the “off-island” day, so I of course painted in San Francisco. Mila stayed in her home county, but Danny crossed the bridge and we painted at Washington and Jones, a truly epic view that has everything: cable car, TransAmerica Pyramid, and the Bay Bridge. This one was a particular challenge for me– so much to include!– and I spent much longer than usual.
We parted ways because Danny wanted to go paint the Golden Gate Bridge, and I had been planning for months to go to one of my favorite spots: the view of Clay st. from Lafayette Park. We met back up for dinner at Mario’s in North Beach and then settled on Grant and Green for another Nocturne. We were joined there by Franklin Lei, who wasn’t participating in Frank Bette, but just came out to paint with us anyway.
By day 5 I was definitely getting worn out. Mila and I started off at Ole’s Waffle shop, which is another must-do spot, and then I built up my strength with a delicious plate of waffles! Next we returned to one of the spots we had scouted on Wednesday, a beautiful Art Deco building on Park that currently houses a weed shop. Someone at the reception had joked about painting the weed store and we laughed, too, until we saw it, and then we had to do it.
Mila and I ended the week at Faction Brewing back at the far end of the island– we were determined to paint the skyline, and, despite the incoming fog, we did it! We were rewarded with a stunning pattern of rolling and glowing clouds, with the city remaining just visible enough. It was a great end to a long week.
I stayed up late peeling tape, varnishing, and writing labels to prepare for the exhibition and sale the next day. It’s fantastic to see everyone’s work all together in the courtyards of the South Shore Center. After seeing painters all over their town all week, the people of Alameda come to see the results, and art collectors also know it as a great opportunity to see and buy paintings. There’s an award ceremony, and Danny earned two well-deserved awards, one of which was the Artist Choice Award for his Quick Draw. I earned my very first ribbon with “Bay Yo Bus” from day 1 with the camper van!
I also participated in the “Battle of the Brushes,” the first time Frank Bette hosted this type of event. There was an oil team and a water media team, and I got to create a collaborative painting with Geoff Allen, Cathy Xu, Raffi Kondy, and Carolyn Lord. It was a great learning experience and we managed to combine their transparent watercolor techniques with my opaque gouache! Both paintings were immediately auctioned in support of the gallery.
After taking a few days to rest, I am full of inspiration and excitement. The community support behind Frank Bette gives me so much hope. Small businesses and people who live in Alameda alike are so welcoming, and the light has an amazing quality. You can see many of the paintings from the Paint Out up at the Frank Bette gallery through September 27th! Make sure to check out the full list of painters and go see their work!
As previously hinted at, make sure to join us for this month’s show: CROONERS Peels Back a Layer. CROONERS is a lavender live sing cabaret at the intimate Stookey’s Blue Room. Hosted by Chester Vanderbox, with regular performers Polly Amber Ross and EnSeanTé, accompanist and performer Brendan Getzell, and two guest stars, the show packs a lot into a small room! Space is limited, so pick out your seats now, and I’ll see you at the door!
Thanks for reading my newsletter! As a reward, here is a picture of Ruby, enjoying her latest box.
While you await the next newsletter, you can check out my website to see my portfolio of plein air paintings, still lifes, block prints, figure drawings, tiny model houses, murals, and you can also find information on commissions! Please feel welcome to email me (just respond here!) and ask about any ideas you have that aren’t covered on my commission page, I’m always willing to discuss.
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