SCARY

Armando & Cliff came to visit for the weekend. We spent time going to art galleries and shopping in various antique stores, vintage clothing stores located in the Heights & Galveston.
This is an old picture of Jim and a Doll from a trip to Denison, TX.


We took these pictures in rememberance of a scary picture we have of Jim.

It is a fun thing to do to find scary dolls and make faces to look like them.


Another scary thing to do is to find clothes you think your friends would wear and do a photo fashion show. This outfit is for you Karen!

And a weekend outing without my camera would not be complete without some photo digital documentation. It seemed like everywhere we went I would see these cones. Normally I would just pass them by, but they became sort of a photo project - three seperate places, three different photos, three different feelings.







Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved.

Art and Friendship

We visited the MFAH! Go into the light Michael A, Go into the light.

This has been a wonderful weekend. I created some digital art. I took lots of photos. I relived old memories and friendships.
The light from the studio.
Road markings.

Hopperesque building in Galveston.

Boys having fun!

SCAPES

These are some pictures that I have taken over the last few days while my friend Michael visited Houston so we could celebrate our birthdays.

Bedroom light

Door in Galveston

Livingroom nite glow

Gallery switch

Carwash abstract

Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

working and reworking

I was in the studio again this evening. I was there to finish working on 3 pieces that needed to be signed, varnished and the edges painted black. These are the pictures that I showed earlier in the blog that are italian landscapes.

But the beautiful thing about having a large space is that while things are drying, you can get inspired and do more work.

So I worked on the piece on the corner, I worked on another sitting on the table. Then I saw this picture of robert that I have not worked on in over a year. I took it off the wall, and just started. I am actually excited the way it is taking on new life. Stay tuned because I not sure how this Robert piece will end up.


I also worked on a piece that I started painting last fall. It was while I was in Dallas and painting in front of Urban Blossom. They had a customer who liked one of my other paintings that was very textured but it was in browns and he wanted orange, black & yellow --- well I tried, but I could never get it right. So I painted over the entire canvas while orange paint, and then began scratching out what was painted below it. It too also has an interesting rebirth, and am excited to see where this piece goes. I know that those clients that like orange will be calling becuase it is really interesting.

Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

Easter Bunnies Bring Paint

Today was a day to relax and paint. I have been working on some items so I thought I should show the progress. This next painting is not finished...


This is a painting that has been through many phases in it's life. But finally I am feeling like it is getting to the right place. It has been a human figure, it has been a landscape...and now something inbetween, something abstract, something in progress.











I sold a painting at Flavors from Afar last weekend. It was one of the paintings that have been inspired by my trip to Italy several years ago. At Flavors from Afar, an epicurian shop, with Italian olive oils, spices, cheeses, and so much more (even art!). This has left a hole where the last painting was hung, so I created 3 paintings to give some more spice to the collection at this location in Snider Plaza in Dallas, TX. This painting is based on mountains and dramatic sunrays.






Another thing that fasinates me about Italy is the trees. The seem to stand off by themselves. I do not know if this is by design or just strong character.


But you can see nothing but a line of trees, equally spaced, equally grown. It is very eloquent.





This was a very good Easter Weekend. I had visitors to the gallery, who returned with a relative who was visiting, and to make a few purchases. Jon & Connie who live in Houston are now the proud owners of "Thoughtful" and "Desperation". Their relative, brother was visiting from Las Vegas, but grew up in Tonawanda - very close to where I grew up. Small World. Thank you Pat & Sonya for introducing me to your Houstonian friends. Another great thing was calling my friend Denise, who was the person who gave me the word "Thoughtful" to work as a piece. You never know who you are going to meet and where the inspiration will come from.





Another interesting thing happened when my mother visited that I forgot to share. She was reading the paper as saw an article about NASA and the pictures of the North Pole of Saturn. Large Universe. It was very interesting the way the picture in the paper looked so much like my digital painting called "Spiral Life" --- maybe in an out of body experience I got there first and created it? A space oddity? You decide.



Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

AQUARIUM

Mom and Jackie visited the aquarium today.
This is a great shot of a sawnosed shark that kept looking at mom.


Jackie uses the perscope...probably to figure out why the train ride through the aquarium broke down when they were on it! hmmm.
This is the "electric" fish that mom saw.







Mom made friends with Sparky!

Mom leaves tomorrow to go back to Myrtle Beach. We had a great visit.
Copyright 2006 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

Mom Blogs

"Here is what we look like today." - Dot

Mom and her friend Jackie, and Jackie's friend Nancy came to show Mom Houston. They visited the Pink House Gallery, and the Winter Street Studio and even went to the Houston Contemporary Museum of Art. I met them for a sandwich at Kraftsman Bakery (thanks Jackie) after which they tried to find the Flower Mart and visited the Big Heads.



Oh My!









Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

Circuitry

I created this image based on the circuit board from the previous security system which was replaced and is working now.

Lakewood Alarm came and set up the system...so now the system beeps, sirens are armed, and codes are set.

Mom and I shopped and bought a new pair of shoes today, we had dinner at Paulie's - great lasagna. Yum.

Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

SunMonDay

Yesterday Mom and I drove around alot. Many of the places we wanted to go to ended up being closed... We tried a place for breakfast called the Breakfast Klub, but it is closed on Sunday, so we ended up at the 59 Diner. It was really good. Then we tried to go to the Museum of American Craft, but it was closed, so we ended up going to the local grocery store and buying some items and coming home and watching the Houston Open on tv. Then Mom made her famous Mac& Cheese... (jealous, Jim!).

I C ART & FRIENDS

Today was the I.C. ART STUDIO TOUR. It was a great day...even with the terrible rain storms that came through.

Mom took this picture of me in my "art" painting shirt. It as usual was a big hit at the studio, with people joking about how I got some paint on my shirt...some even wanted to buy... truth be told I would have given it to them if they had cash!


Mom played "gallery director" today and met the many people that came through the digital gallery. The day started with my landlord and his partner. They have been so supportive of the house and helping me achieve making this studio & gallery come alive. They have other places for rent if others want to move into the neighborhood.
The balloons welcomed guests to the first opening at The Pink House Studio & Gallery. It was unfortunate that we could not put the painted umbrella out front with lights because of the wind & rain. Maybe next time.


Well you may think this is a new piece of art from me, it is really the welcome mat that greeted the visitors. Something artful to wipe the wet mess from their feet.


The new art I created in the painting studio today was this piece. Some one told me that it reminded them of dancers. I thought that was really cool to see something so literal, yet moving in such an abstract piece.


Others saw faces, and human forms in this piece. It is so great to see others imaginations take over when viewing art pieces.

The day was filled with many visitors. Visitors from my corporate life - Laura, Norm & his family, Jennifer, Jackie; calls from Armando, Jim, Jack, and Ann; email well wished from my college roommate - Peter K.; and text messages from people at DIFFA watching my jacket go down the catwalk. But the last surprize was my good friends, Patrick & Sonya from Austin popping with their Houston Friends to visit - what a great surprise and ending to my day. Mom called at around 8:55pm and told me do not leave or close up she was sending 4 important buyers over to see my work... she did not let on it was Apadaca & entourage. We had a great visit, and now I have a few more Houston friends. New artist friends stopped by and visited as well.

Mom & I went to eat at Katz's Deli afterwards had some waffles & french toast. Batman & Robin were are waiter and waitress. I told them the Fried Pickle story. Now I have blogged, and will rest.

Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved.

DIFFA & STUDIO TOUR Tommorrow

How can you be in more places then once? Well tomorrow, the jacket that I designed will be in Dallas, raising funds for DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) - many of my friends (Armando Rivera, Laura Kerr, and David C Schulze) http://www.diffadallas.org/gallery_2007jackets.htm You can check out all the jackets at this link - even ones from Rosie O'Donnell, Delta Burke, and Leslie Jordan to name a few celebrities, and of course you have fashion designers like Kenneth Cole, local celebs - Tyler Sweatman and artists I admire like Cathey Miller.

For those of you who may not know, I designed this jacket using travel patches that my brother had collected over the years. When he passed away last year I found this stash and decided to create something positive from it.

Mom arrived and we toured around Dallas getting things ready for tomorrow's Studio Tour. Every thing is labeled and ready. Now we just hope the rain comes and goes quickly.

More pictures to come on that --- btw the we stopped and briefly took a peek at the art exhibit called TOAST... a celebration of life.

Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved

AZ GOUT ME

Well here I am in Arizona at a conference -- and what happens, I enjoy the sunset on the cactus, have a glass of wine, and before you know --- I can not walk... turns out I have Gout. It is very painful and reminds me of what we though was a bone spur a few years ago when Jim & I went to Tulsa....

I can not tell you how painful it is, but it is.
But even in pain you can find beauty. Like the wrinkled bed sheets.



Going to the airport tomorrow should be interesting - I hope this medicine that I got here helps me deal with the pain or it is going to be a long day.

Copyright 2007 William H Miller All Rights Reserved