Open Studios recap, new paintings, Halloween Events!
This month I’m looking back at a fantastic first Open Studios, sharing a couple of new paintings, and inviting you to a series of Halloween events from art making to drag! As always, stick around until the end to see a photo of my cat, Ruby.
All my expectations were blown out of the water at Open Studios! Suze Riley, Lauren Crasco, and I had so many visitors engaging thoughtfully in our work, and I sent more than a dozen original paintings to new homes.
Sometimes, the work I do on the computer to send out impressions of my hand made, physical artwork can feel abstract and distant, but it became very real as so many of you came by to see my work in person and to tell me that you love seeing my posts and reading this newsletter, and that makes it all worth it. Thank you for letting me know, because it fills my cup and inspires me to keep going.
I have to give a huge, huge thank you to Suze for inviting me into her space and encouraging me to do Open Studios. I literally would not have participated if she hadn't asked me to join her. Thank you also to Lauren, who showed in the space with us and engaged visitors with her Wedding Party activity. Thank you to Sean Owens for designing and serving custom mocktails for our preview night, and supporting me through every part of my art career and life. Thanks to Michelle Cook for leading a walking tour that visited our spot.
As I was packing everything up, Suze and I made a long anticipated art trade. I got a piece of hers from Sanchez Art Center’s 50|50 show last year, which is when we first met!
All of this support from my community has me inspired to get out and make more paintings, so I met with Mila Kirillova and we went up to Grandview Park, which I’ve been wanting to try for a while. We had a beautiful clear day and the views were, of course, stunning. There were so many possibilities, but I ended up looking south towards 14th Ave and off into the distance. Mila looked out to the West, over the Sunset and out to the ocean with the fog hovering over it. Afterwards, we went around the hill and painted Sutro Tower from the other side, all before the fog came in on us, but not before gusts of wind tried to blow our easels over.
These will be in STUDIO Gallery’s TINY show along with several other recent tiny paintings of mine, so make sure to go see the show!
I was honored to help E Dyer with their recent Tenderloin mural “Your help, your hands, and your hearts are always needed,” made for the Compton’s Cafeteria Riot show and the Tenderloin Museum, in Myrtle Alley. It was great to get back out and painting up on a ladder, and to spend time with E, whose work I have admired for years. As you pass by on the street, look out for the parrots I got to paint freehand!
Halloween is going to be epic this year, and I have several recommendations leading up to it, the night of, and following the best holiday of the year.
Coming up first, my brother Reese Bice is teaching Spooky Lino for Beginners at ARCH Supplies! You may recognize his illustrations from the Fancypants posters, or his prints from the SpookyHaus booth at events all over the Bay Area. Learn a fun and satisfying way to make prints by hand, with a Halloween twist from the king of creepy illustrations on Saturday, October 25. Spots are limited and all materials are included, so sign up now!
Join us the following day on Sunday, October 26th for CROONERS Visits Your Old Haunts. We are so excited to have Kat Robichaud and Bebe Sweetbriar as our guest stars this month.
Keep the creativity flowing on Tuesday the 28th by joining us for Sketchboard’s annual Halloween Portrait Party! Show off your costume by volunteering to pose, or just enjoy the chance to draw a variety of other people’s costumes. I host figure drawing at Madrone every Tuesday, and this celebration will be the last regular session of the year. Don’t worry, though, we will be back in January!
For Halloween itself, Castro Halloween is back and we will be part of it with Hellmouth at Queer Arts Featured, in collaboration with Sean Owens and The Spookyhaus! Enter the Hellmouth armed with a set of carnival tickets to spend on gothic poetry, tarot readings, and much more!
The weekend certainly doesn’t stop there! The grand finale will be Fancypants: V is for the Void. We will be exploring 50’s nihilism on the Oasis stage, our last show in that space before it closes forever at the end of the year.
Complete your Halloween weekend with FANCYPANTS as we stare into the abyss with "V is for the VOID!" Submitted for your approval: a 1950's sci-fi television program devoted to that hot new topic-- Existential Dread! Catch three full episodes-- starring Tuesday Gloom, Polly Amber Ross, Chester Vanderbox, Carlota diCarlo, Nicky Nomicon, and EnSeanTé, along with special co-host Bazil B Dazil, and three surprise mystery guests-- as a swirling vortex threatens to engulf us all! Embrace the spooky and surreal with us-- Sunday November 2nd, doors at 6pm, shows beginning at 7pm! Sliding scale! VIP tables available!
Fancypants is far more than a drag show, it's a dissertation and drinks! Experience consummate art and hospitality in one of the city's most beloved venues, SF OASIS! ONE NIGHT ONLY!!
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 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