NYC Sketches, 50 paintings project, my art in the Ferry Building, Cityscapes in Gouache class!
I am excited to share stories from my first ever trip to New York city, progress on my 50 paintings project, and invite you to my next gouache class!
Welcome to the July edition of my artist newsletter!
I’ve had a super big month, and I am excited to share stories from my first ever trip to New York city, progress on my 50 paintings project, and invite you to my next gouache class! Make sure you scroll all the way down to get to my latest reading and event recommendations, and see a photo of my cat, Ruby!
If you would like to learn about my painting process in depth, your opportunity is coming up at ARCH Art Supplies on August 10! I will be teaching my class, Cityscapes in Gouache, which is an exploration of gouache as a medium for observational painting, with an eye towards plein air.
During the class, I take students through my entire painting process, from picking your subject, to thumbnails, block in, and final colors. On the way we discuss principles of composition, atmospheric perspective, and color theory. I’ve broken the process down into discrete parts so that the task of doing a whole painting becomes less overwhelming. I also take a little time to discuss some of my theories and philosophies around painting, like choosing something that you love and focusing on quantity over quality of paintings.
The cost of the class comes with all the materials you need, including a panel prepared by me the same way that I prep them for myself! There are only 10 slots, so sign up early!
A really cool thing happened just a few days ago, on Friday. My painting, Maritime Museum Tiles, which I shared in last month’s newsletter, was displayed at the Ferry Building! Not only that, but it was made into a banner which will be hanging there through the month of August. If you find yourself there, look for the banner up in the southern end of the building. The original painting has traveled to Voss Gallery, near 24th and Valencia, where it will be on view as part of Urban Tides, also through August.
As someone who loves the Ferry Building, it is so exciting to have my work be a part of it temporarily. It was also an honor to be awarded by this panel of judges, including Ashley Voss (owner and curator of Voss Gallery), Joen Madonna (Executive Director of ArtSpan), and representatives from the Ferry Building, the Port of San Francisco, and SFMOMA. Though the opening event has come and gone, you can still view my painting at Voss Gallery through August! The whole show is an exciting celebration of San Francisco, and also includes a painting by my friend, Christina Kent.
I feel like I could write an entire novel about my first trip to New York City, which happened last month, but I will try to boil it down to some highlights for you. One of the first things I did was meet up with the NYC chapter of the Urban Sketchers. The Seattle Urban Sketchers was the group that got me started on my path to plein air cityscape paintings, and I switched to the San Francisco group when I moved here, so it’s a high priority for me in any city I visit. I got to sketch with them twice, once at Union Square and once at Carl Schurz Park.
Union Square, NY, NY
Carl Schurz Park, NY, NY
The group was so welcoming and inspiring, and I certainly wouldn’t have discovered Carl Schurz Park without them. A few long time New Yorkers in the group had never heard of it! I was carrying just a small sketch kit, but I was feeling inspired to work with the few materials I had. Going back to sketching after focusing on painting for so long was exciting, and I brought my awareness of value to it in a way that I didn’t have back when I was doing urban sketching all the time.
Sean Owens and I taught a zine workshop at Yesterday’s News, a fantastic antique shop in Brooklyn. The class was sold out and was full of fun and discovery. I don’t want to say anything too definite, but we are looking to return and do another one, and I am also considering teaching a still life class using antiques from the shop!
I did a lot of exploring, and of course eating and drinking all over NYC. I visited The Stonewall Inn and sang at the weekly piano bar there, saw Little Shop of Horrors and Dave Malloy’s Three Houses, sang again at Don’t Tell Mama, and ate at Veselka, just to pick a few highlights.
I explored Central Park and made this sketch at The Lake:
On my last night in the city, I attended Anatomy Lesson, a weekly figure drawing event at Club Cumming, Alan Cumming’s bar in the East Village. Our model was performer and producer Tallulah Talons, who was then joined by guest model Amanda Palmer.
When they announced that Amanda Palmer was going to model, I was sure that I misheard. My working theory was that the person must be a performer whose drag name sounds like Amanda Palmer (surely someone is doing that?), so I drew for 20 minutes wondering who it was.
At the end of the pose, they said again that this was Amanda Palmer, of The Dresden Dolls, and I got to go up and take my picture with them!
Then Amanda played happy birthday (in their birthday suit) for Tallulah, and played a brand new song for all of us. It was such a special evening.
I started listening to Amanda Palmer in high school and both their music and The Art of Asking influenced my early development as an artist. I learned that making the work and putting yourself out there is the most important thing, rather than hiding away until everything is perfect. Getting to draw Amanda was an amazing full circle moment for me.
On top of all that, at this event the model, and in this case both models, judge the artworks and award prizes with Moleskine gift cards! I was honored to be awarded first place for the evening by presenting both the drawing of Amanda and this drawing of Tallulah:
Back in San Francisco, I have jumped right into my next project! This year, I was juried into Sanchez Art Center’s annual 50|50 show, in which each artist makes 50 works over the course of 50 days. I’ve applied for the past two years and the third time was apparently the charm. I suspect part of the reason is that I have a much more specific concept for my series this year. I am painting the view down the center of each street that ends at Golden Gate Park, looking North. The whole series will be like a storyboard portrait of the Richmond from the inside end of GGP out to the ocean. I’m delighted to share the first 18 paintings with you:
From left to right and top to bottom: Parsons st, Willard North, Arguello, and 2nd through 7th Avenues.
From left to right and top to bottom: 8th-9th Ave, 11th-12th Ave, Funston, 14th -17th Ave
It is exciting for me to be working in such a specific series for the first time. It takes away a large part of the decision making process around painting, since I know exactly where to be and what to look at. This leaves me free to work on other aspects of painting and to notice and appreciate the things that make each avenue unique.
The exhibition will open with a ticketed preview on September 6th and 7th at the Sanchez Art Center in Pacifica. You can join their email list, and/or keep an eye out here to get in on the opportunity to attend the preview, which is your chance to see everyone’s series fully intact before sales start flying off the wall! After the opening, the show will be up until October 6, but collectors can take pieces with them at time of purchase after the opening event, so the series will be incomplete.
When you receive next month’s newsletter on August 15, I will have completed all 50 paintings! So make sure you are subscribed to see the rest of them.
You can also follow along with my progress day by day on Instagram through my story highlights and posts. I am also updating my website often with the new paintings!
If that wasn’t enough plein air painting to squeeze into my month, 50|50 actually overlaps with the Frank Bette Paint Out. I didn’t want to turn down either one, so I’ve doubled down and I’m doing both. Does anyone know what the current World Record is for the number of plein air paintings done in a month? I am getting ahead on 50|50 by doing two to three paintings a day most days, so that I’ll be able to take the week off from that project to paint in Alameda.
I had a great time at the paint out last year, so I’m looking forward to it! I made new friends, including award winning watercolorist Karen Fiene, who I have mentioned in the newsletter before. This year I will also be joined by my friend and painting buddy Milla Kirillova! This year’s juror is Barbara Tapp.
If you are an artist, you can join us for the community Quick Draw, when anyone can register, paint, and display their works for sale alongside the juried artists. Meet us in the middle courtyard at the South Shore Center in Alameda from 8:30-9:30am to register and have your substrate stamped, and we will be painting along Park st until noon. Keep an eye on the Frank Bette website or reach out to me for more details. If you don’t wish to participate, please come by in the afternoon to see the Quick Draw works at the South Shore Center from 1-5pm!
The grand finale of the whole paint out is the show on Saturday, August 3rd, when all the other artists and I will display our paintings from the week and an award ceremony will be held. This event also takes place at the South Shore Center from 10:00am to 5:00pm, with painting demos at 11:00am and 2:30pm. It’s your chance to get first dibs on the paintings and see them all in one place before they go into the gallery for the month. There are 40 artists who will all be painting in Alameda for the week, so it is incredibly exciting to see all the work displayed together!
Ole’s Waffles, 2023, sold.
Finally, it is time for recommendations! I’ve had so little time for reading lately, so I have turned to manga. I have at last discovered Dungeon Meshi by Ryōko Kui. The series is about a Dungeons and Dragons style adventure, but it’s all about cooking by hunting and foraging in the dungeon. It is so delightful and clever, and full of oddly specific, true to life cooking details, and good advice such as “malnutrition is scarier than monsters” and “eggs are a perfect food.” I think I am finding myself drawn to it right now, because the core message is that if you are doing something epic, you have to eat well and take care of yourself. Considering my epic undertaking of 50|50 and the Frank Bette Paint Out, it’s a much needed reminder.
Since beginning reading, I have also discovered that it is very popular, has a show on Netflix, and references to it have been all around me this whole time, I just didn’t recognize them. So, if you also did not know about Dungeon Meshi, go put it on hold at your local library! It’s also all available online, but it’s much nicer to read in print. Keep in mind that in manga you read the panels from right to left.
This month I have a special announcement to make about Crooner’s! June’s guest star, B Noel Thomas, was so fabulous that we have decided to put on a night just for her. Join us on July 20th to hear an entire show of B Noel’s unbelievable voice! There is one show at 6:30 and another at 8:30.
We will also have Crooners on our regular 4th Sunday on July 28th, hosted by Chester and Polly with two new guest stars. The theme this month is Fly Me to the Moon and will be full of songs about the moon, stars, and space. Seating for both shows is extremely limited, so reserve your spot now, for 6:00pm or 8:30pm!
We also have our quarterly show, Fancypants, coming up at Oasis on Wednesday, August 14. The theme is V is for Vandalize, exploring the ways in which we queer our environments as a way to fight back against the forces of mundanity. Tickets will be available online and at the door! Doors will open at 6, and there will be three unique acts at 7, 8, and 9pm. Check out our online archive to see the beauty and amazingness from past shows, as well as stunning poster illustrations by my brother, Reese Bice! This is a highlight from March’s show, V is for Valiant:
Carlota Di Carlo, photo by Kayleigh Shawn
As I noted last month, due to the 50|50 project, my commissions are on hold until mid August. Don’t hesitate to reach out to me about ideas for afterwards, though! August and September are already filling up, so thinking ahead pays off. It’s also not too early to discuss holiday commissions with me! Getting in early ensures that I’ll be able to give proper time and attention to the gift for your loved one.
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 (remember that any commissions will have to wait until August)! 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 if there’s something you’d like to hear about in the newsletter in the future. Considering how long these things have gotten, I may switch to twice a month. Respond to this email and let me know what you think!
Lastly, as always, here's Ruby!
Thank you!
-Nathaniel J. Bice
he/him