Movie theater nocturnes and small scale Pride events!
Pride isn’t all huge parades and massive parties. This year, join me for some thoughtful, small scale Pride events for building community: workshops, book readings, and music. Read on to see my new series of movie theater nocturnes, get my insider Pride event recommendations, and, at the very end of the newsletter, you’ll be rewarded with a picture of my cat, Ruby!
I’m happy to report that our first two Pride workshops at ARCH have been a success! Sean received stellar reviews from their Queer Surrealist Collage Zines workshop, and everyone in the class finished a zine, many for the first time! They even made a collaborative zine together.
My rainbow book binding workshop was also a blast! The attendees all overcame the struggles of sewing to make beautiful, colorful mini sketchbooks. They are empowered to make their own custom sketchbooks from any paper they want!
We’re only halfway through Pride month and halfway through my pride events at the shop! Next up is Go with the Flow Improv Painting with Gem Mahusay, on June 21st starting at noon. I met Gem through Art Jam (an annual artmaking weekend hosted by The Spooky Haus), and I knew that their attitude and unique approach to painting would make a great workshop.
Make bold strokes, or take a detailed approach. Leave it all on the canvas and find peace in the process. No painting experience required, this is all about low stress and exploration. If you have a hard time letting go of control, or maybe you get stuck in the funk of perfectionism, this is the class for you. Through the use of Posca Acrylic paint pens, we will create mess-free 6 inch paintings to take home at the end of the class. All materials are included!
Finally, on Pink Saturday, June 28, I’ll be hosting a casual, free, drop-in pride crafting day at ARCH from noon to 4pm. You’ll be able to collage your own pronoun button and make a rainbow twirler!
In the past couple of months, everything seems to be all about movie theaters and film noir. Pop back to last month’s newsletter to see my paintings that were in STUDIO Gallery’s San Francisco Noir show, and read my recommendation of Christopher Tradowsky’s premier novel, Midnight at the Cinema Palace. His book has inspired me to create a series of movie theater nocturnes, celebrating independent cinemas and historic neon signage in San Francisco.
Some, like this one of the Vogue, I made on site. Of course, we all know about San Francisco’s cold summers, so that hasn’t turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Passersby kept asking me if I was miserable, and indeed I was pretty cold and windswept.
So, I went to the Roxie and took photos to work from for this diptych done in acrylic:
I also had the pleasure of watching Hausu in 35mm there! The Roxie is a treasured independent movie theater, and they are currently working to buy their building to secure their place for years to come. You can donate to support them here!
I braved the outdoors again to take another stab at the Castro at night, accompanied by Mila Kirillova:
It doesn’t stop there. For months I have been slowly working on a limited set of hand painted models of the Castro’s blade sign. I used enamel paint, similar to what is used to paint the real thing, which I got to learn all about when I helped restore the Beep’s Burgers sign. I’ve been thinking about making something like these ever since.
There are only three, and they are each mounted into a piece of a floorboard from the actual Castro Theater, removed during the current renovation. Special thanks to Queer Arts Featured for giving me access to that material, making these a unique blend of newly made tribute and actual history.
I also helped make frames from the floorboards for QAF’s current exhibit: Positives and Negatives: Memories from Castro Camera in the Time of Harvey Milk. Make sure to swing by the shop soon to see it for yourself!
Your opportunity to see this movie theater nocturne series is coming soon! FLORID: Floral Noir in in just three days, on June 18th at 6pm or 8pm. Tickets are just $100 and will sell out, so get your ticket now! This is part of a very special event series at Chartreuse, a floral boutique at Castro and Market. FLORID is a secret garden cabaret that combines music, drag, and literature. This month’s show is Christopher’s first reading of Midnight at the Cinema Palace in San Francisco, and I can’t wait.
I also have a set of paintings and prints up at Chartreuse for the month of June, so stop by any time during their open hours to see them!
If you miss out on FLORID, fear not! There is also a free reading taking place at Queer Arts Featured on June 21st at 7pm!
My final intimate Pride event recommendation is on June 22, CROONERS Leads the Parade, our extra queer edition of our monthly live sing lavender cabaret. Our guest stars this month are River, Ruby Vixxen, and Devlin Shand (of Queer Arts Featured!). We have one show at 7pm and one at 9pm! The room only seats 26, so reserve your spot and pick out your favorite seat or bar stool now.
Looking ahead to July, I am teaching another Cityscapes in Gouache workshop on the 19th! Sign up for a 5 hour intensive designed to prepare you for painting the city in gouache outdoors. All materials are included (over $50 value!), and you’ll take home a comprehensive packet detailing my full painting process. If you’ve wondered what goes into my paintings and want to try it for yourself, this is your chance!
By the way, you can save on the ticket fees by getting yours in store at 1490 17th st, or over the phone (415-433-2724)!
Thanks for reading my newsletter! As a reward, here is a photo of my cat, Ruby:
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