New York sketching adventures, strange and wonderful October events
insider tips for the most bizarre, underground, and under-appreciated events for this month.
Welcome to Halloween month, the best time of the year!
In this newsletter I have my latest sketching adventures in New York and insider tips for the most bizarre, underground, and under-appreciated events for this month. At the end I will gift you a new picture of my cat, Ruby, as thanks for reading (or at least scrolling) all the way to the bottom!
Last weekend I enjoyed the opening for Vacancy, curated by Suze Riley and exhibiting at the brand new San Francisco Gallery, right next to the Midway. This show is all about gloriously dated signage and neon, one of my favorite subjects.
Suze and I finally met for the first time at Sanchez Art Center during the 50|50 opening. Her series depicting laundromat signs was an absolute delight. I am especially excited by her treatment of cast shadows, and the combination of painted textures with papercut techniques. Predating our first in person meeting, we have shown together at both Voss Gallery and STUDIO Gallery. Suze reached out to me and asked me to participate in Vacancy, which I was honored to do. The show has a clear aesthetic while having an amazing variety of media, techniques, and sensibilities. My plein air paintings are alongside Suze’s papercuts, as well as stunning photography, dimensional miniatures, and resin.
Of course I had to put a painting of the Castro in the show, but I was fresh out of Castro paintings, so I went out and did another one:
It never gets old to me, and this is a composition I’ve been wanting to try for a while! There is a second opening this Thursday the 18th with the two photographers in the show speaking, which will be a great chance to see the show and get insight into their work! The exhibition is open for the rest of the month by appointment, and I encourage you to do so. To make an appointment or for inquiries, email elliott@themidwaySF.com.
This month I got to return to New York City for another trip full of sketching! It's too early to reveal the commissions I did, but I can share my other sketches with you.
First, I made sure to meet up with the NYC Urban Sketchers again. They brought me to Duane Park, a tiny little triangle with great city views mixing new and old architecture. I made this double page spread, going from the tippy top of the skyscrapers all the way down to the asphalt.
Some of the sketchers recognized me from back in June, which was amazing.
My next sketch outing was self motivated and I decided to visit the Winter Garden. Originally built in 1988, it's a magnificent glass atrium full of palm trees. It struck me as just too funny to pass up, going all the way to New York from California to draw palm trees. You can read here about how they handle the challenge of growing palm trees indoors, it's quite interesting.
I was fascinated by the reflections and light in this space, and I caught it at sunset, which was just stunning. There's an outdoor patio bar with an amazing view there as well.
The final sketch I'll share here is also a sunset view, from a bridge that overlooks 42nd Street (Cue music). It has become a pretty popular selfie spot, but I ignored the cell phones and did my best to capture the golden light hitting the Chrysler Building.
Keep an eye out in future newsletters for me to reveal my commissions from this trip! I already have inklings for opportunities for future trips, so let me know if you are interested in a sketch of your own. These three are also available, just saying…
Back home in SF, Neil G Ballard has struck again with a new mural on the Walgreens at 24th and Potrero! This one is called “Evening Trees” and you can read all about it in Mission Local! It’s great to see an article about Neil’s mural work, since he has done illustrations for them for years.
I got to help out and earned myself a mention in the article as well. This piece brings so much color and joy to this corner.
October is one of the best months for weird and wonderful events here in the Bay Area, and I have some deep pulls for you to add to your calendar.
I'll start with the longest and oddest, the annual 24 hour Moby Dick reading marathon at the Maritime Museum. From noon on Saturday, October 19 to noon (ish) on October 20, we will be reading the entirety of Moby Dick out loud. The event is completely free, so you can come and go as you please.
This is not just a simple reading, however. Thanks to the creative direction of Sean Owens, it is also a durational performance art piece, featuring everything from drag to junior whale hunter kits. I am contributing by taking the lead on the visual scenic aspects, and I will be doing live scenic assembly, live drawing, and live lino carving and block printing, all during the first 11 or so hours of the reading. You can still volunteer to read a chapter yourself! Some of the best stuff happens in the wee hours, but come by any time and you are sure to encounter something fascinating.
While the main level of the Maritime Museum is open to the public year round, the reading is a rare chance to see the upstairs space and murals. If you've never been, the Maritime Museum is a stunning example of WPA era art and craftsmanship. Whenever you visit, make sure to see the prismaterium, a walk-in color wheel room!
This list would be incomplete without this month’s Crooners– “That Old Black Magic: Songs about magic, witches, and spooky vibes.” Crooners is a monthly live sing lavender cabaret, featuring stunning queer voice talent of the Bay in a beautiful 30’s themed space: the Blue Room at Stookey’s Club Moderne. It’s a small, intimate space and seating is limited, so get your tickets ahead of time!
Continuing the Halloween spirit, I am excited to announce that The Spooky Haus is hosting our own market for the first time! It's called Eerie Emporium and will feature local queer artists, plus trick or treating and a costume contest! Come see us at Gilman on Saturday the 26th and get everything you need for the best Halloween ever!
Speaking of Halloween, on the day itself Sketchboard is holding a fabulous fundraiser party. I'll be there with my prints, figure drawings, and zines. We're also having an art auction to support our efforts to bring quality and diverse figure drawing events to the Bay. I don't know about you, but I always have a hard time figuring out what I actually want to do on Halloween night, since I am neither a child nor a raver, so this event is the perfect solution for art loving fans of the season!
Lastly, I have my reading recommendation for you! I have been delighting in Joe Keenan’s novels. Joe Keenan is best known for writing for Frasier, but in his novels he is able to be unrestrainedly campy and gay. Keenan makes New York of the 80’s and 90’s feel like a queer playground. It was actually an offhand remark in the first novel, Blue Heaven, that led me to the Winter Garden. It’s witty, gay, hilarious, and it has been the perfect escape for me this month.
I am already looking ahead and planning for the end of the year, so if you are interested in commissioning something for a loved one for this holiday season, it’s not too early to reach out!
Thank you for joining me for another month! 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 scale model houses, murals, and you can also find information on commissions! Please feel welcome to email me 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.
Lastly, as always, here's Ruby!
Thank you!
-Nathaniel J. Bice
he/him