I have to be honest that I feel really embarrassed to tell this story but I know it’s an important experience to share. I was very excited to hang my artwork at a pub & grille at the base of a canyon where my family and I have been going for years after a day of snowboarding or a morning hike. Not only months ago was I asked to show my work there but even my sister tried to arrange a way for my animal head woodcut sculpture prints to be there because it seemed to be the perfect fit for a cabin-esque eatery. Wednesday morning I was very excited to bring everything in, install my black birds and robin birds for the first time together, and I was more than pleased with how it looked. I got great feedback from all the employees and one of the owners who spent time looking at everything when it was done. But a few hours later I heard some bad news that the other owner hated my work and I might need to take it down. I was surprised but held onto hope that he would see good response from it and that I could talk to him to find out more. But an hour later I heard that they already took it down before they even opened because they were “not the right fit for the restaurant.” I was angry for two reasons – that I wasn’t given a better explanation from the man himself and that they handled my art without my permission or knowledge. I can understand people may not like my work but it seems unprofessional the way this situation was handled and it put a bad taste in my mouth as a guest. My friends and family now do not want to support the restaurant because of the experience. I truly believe if I was asked to take my art down myself and was communicated with at a professional level I’d still plan on eating there for Mother’s Day as my whole family intended to.

Now, every bad experience has something good about it. I thought about what I could’ve done to better the situation. Again, I can’t control who does or does not like my art, but I could’ve protected myself and my art with a contract. They had a contract, like most businesses, to protect themselves from damage or theft of the art. I sought some legal advice to create a contract to state that no one is allowed to handle my artwork but me and establishes dates for how long the art is expected to be on display. Most art can be handled with care but my work is sensitive with no frame to protect it. Gloves are required to move it as well as caution as the edges have breakable thin wooden corners. Porcupine did not handle my work with my requirements which lead to a bear with a broken toe and an elk with a scratch. Sigh. Therefore any damages due to moving of the art could have been covered if I had this agreement in the beginning.

The Artist Agreement with a Venue Contract is available for download with permission for anyone to use. Please let me know what you guys think of it. Has anyone else had a bad experience hanging at a restaurant?

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and drafted the contract based upon experience and want to share with the art community to be as helpful as possible. Use at your own risk or consult a lawyer.

I feel really positive that Tessa will survive this again and you can keep up them on Tessa’s blog where she shares her personal stories and experiences. You can also provide support with a small donation on their fundraising site. And I hope Tessa has the best mother’s day ever this Sunday!

I don’t think I’ll ever really be ready to show off ‘after’ projects because there’s still so much more that I feel like I need to do. Especially in my 100 sq. ft. workspace. But it’s at the point where everything has a place and (gasp!) it’s clean and organized. For nearly 6 months I worked in a disaster zone. I never had time to put things away so piles started and never ended. It was too close to a hoarder’s room, making pathways to my press or computer and calling it good. Finally a few weeks ago I dived in, painted over that awful mint green the previous owners decided to use on every wall and crack in the house, did the old switcheroo as to which side is what, and this happened:

We painted the largest wall in the room with magnetic primer and black chalkboard paint. It’s fantastic and highly recommended. Although I must warn, I couldn’t do the magnetic primer on my own – the smell made me nauseous. I have yet to take full advantage of the versatile wall but I believe it will remind me of endless projects, what day it is, and organize orders.

Let’s not forget that I had to squeeze a whole piece of furniture in the mix too. I don’t think I formally announced the lovely drawing table I received for my birthday from the guy and his parents. I still need to make some curtains as by 3pm the sun rays are beaming in watering my eyes as I try to keep working on the computer. But I love how many windows I have. Also in the near future are hardwood floors. We would’ve installed them before moving everything back in, but get this – since my workspace is an addition to the house and it’s built on top of a crawl space, there’s a bit of a leveling issue. It’s not huge, but my office chair always spins because of it and we want to somehow jack the floor up before we spend time and money on the hardwood floors I keep dreaming about. What do you guys think?

(Photos taken with Instagram: nicamiller)

So last night was my first ever workshop teaching letterpress (sponsored by Craft Lake City and great write up by Salt Lake Tribune). I’ve never taught a class with more than five people and never with such old equipment. I had nerves until the studio was empty. Still, it was a fun experience to make Mother’s Day cards with a photopolymer plate I designed (bottom) and hand-set type (top) that I threw together that afternoon. SaltGrass Printmakers held somewhere around 30 people at once, the most it’s ever had for just one class. I enjoyed people’s questions and being able to talk to them one on one but I know I need to get better at public speaking in front of large groups. Though the more I do these things the better I get and eventually I forget that I am nervous, but once it’s over I realize I miss opportunities to make announcements, fun facts, and who knows what else. I have more classes and workshops coming up or being planned so I can only improve, right?

The next class I’m doing is on Holga Photography the first two Saturdays in May and a similar letterpress printed cards demo on May 11th, once again at SaltGrass.

If you like these Mother’s Day cards, they’re available in my shop or stop by and come say hi to me at Craft Sabbath on May 6th!

It’s really happening. I am teaching a Craft Lake City Artist Workshop with my tabletop Kelsey Excelsior letterpress in t-minus [less than] two weeks. If you have interest in the letterpress craft, have a mom or two and live in the Salt Lake Valley then this is the perfect workshop for you. Check out the Facebook event.

If you’re in the downtown Salt Lake area, good news! You could win Grandma Ruthie’s Buffalo (retail $300) for as low as $10. For all of April, Frosty Darling (177 East 300 South) will be holding onto receipts with purchases of $10 or more to be entered into a drawing. There will be a bash April 27th where the winner will be announced.

Not only is Frosty Darling one of my favorite stores in Salt Lake and featured in 36 Hours by The New York Times, but the owner, Gentry, is the sweetest. She was the first business to carry my art selling it to restaurant owners, locals, visitors, and even connected me to a boutique in Jackson Hole as well as the gallery owner of Stolen & Escaped which made my Horny show possible. I owe a lot of my success to Gentry and her store and I am really sad to see that the business may be closing. I didn’t hesitate to donate one of my largest pieces in hopes to help Gentry during this time. Don’t miss out on being able to get one of many awesome items available – handmade pieces from jewelry to home decor and more – and enter for a chance to win the guilt-free buffalo head woodcut. I hope for a miracle that this locally-owned business can be saved.

I’ll be sure to announce the winner when the time comes! Or follow Frosty Darling on Facebook.

(Photos taken with Instagram: @nicamiller. Pillow in second photo made by Andy Chase)

A long-time friend and former roommate is getting married. When I say long-time, I mean this in the most literal way. I’ve been more or less unknowingly following Jen around since I was in 1st grade. She was a grade ahead of me and since we were in the same program we went to the same schools and somehow even landed at the same University. Here is where I sound like a real stalker – we even went on the same exact study abroad in Australia – Jen, a semester before me. We had no clue until mutual Australian friends were showing up on Facebook and that got us touching base and eventually deciding to have Jen move in with me her last year of college. I stopped following her after she graduated with a Bachelors in Journalism as she’s now in the Maryland/Washington D.C. area serving as a lobbyist for Utah wilderness.

Jen met a boy out there and I was excited to hear not only is her wedding is going to be at the nearest Ski Resort to our hometown but that she wanted me to design and letterpress print her Save The Dates. She gave me plenty of time to figure out my press and get all the last minute parts I needed and gave me the simplest directions as to how she wanted them to look. We are both pleased as to how it turned out although I must admit the text color was suppose to be a bit brighter but I failed to order white ink and instead got white transparency mix. The dark blue/green color still turned out fantastic and I think makes them look more romantic and intimate.

My first project with my press was a lot of fun. I learned a lot and love the men at NA Graphics and Kelsey Excelsior for answering all my questions and instructions on adjusting the pressure to the platen – something I’ve never had to do before because I’ve mainly worked with floor models. I still have lots to learn about the tabletop press, but now that I know it really does work I can’t wait to see what I do with it now!

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Update: These lovelies are now available in my shop. Customize the text in the banner to suit your wedding, even the color!

Ray’s Barber Shop (est. 2005) has opened a second location downtown Salt Lake City on Main Street next door to the new City Creek Center. The interior is amazing with Mayflower themed murals and old wooden beams – what man could not feel more manly when they come in for an old fashioned trim, straight shave, or shoe shine? I got asked to hang my my woodcut pieces towards the front of the large shop surrounding the waiting area and the potential pool table. The Green Ant, a modern-living vintage store, brought in some furniture as well. With it just opening two weeks ago, there is still more furniture, product displays (under Boyd’s Mule Deer Antlers) and more to come. But already it’s a beautiful place to be. Today City Creek is having a Grand Opening so downtown will be thriving all day, and probably from now on. Check out my art at Ray’s and get a service while you’re at it! They’ll have a tent out on the sidewalk all day.

Ray is a 3rd generation barber from Wyoming with a lot of potential to grow in this new location. Meet all the other barbers here.

PS

I’m on Instagram (nicamiller). Are you?

My brother and I are twins, 6 years apart. The same day I turned 25 years old he turned 31 and I knew the best present to give the man in his 30′s living on his own in Wisconsin while studying his phD in Philosophy. Something related to the importance of his childhood which then affected mine. Awesome Star Wars prints created by Utah artist, Darrell Driver. It’s a little late being that it is now March and our birthdays are in January but we don’t give each other gifts unless it’s thoughtful so the tardiness is not a problem in our books. Darrell and I did a trade and was a real [storm] trooper getting these prints to me, especially when I requested a second body guard to Darth Vader. He also donated a couple of 11×14 prints so I can do a giveaway to all you Star Wars nerds! Just leave a comment down below and the winners will be picked by random on Thursday morning. Be sure to check back Thursday to see if you’ve won as I will ask the two winners to e-mail their mailing addresses. Frames not included but can be found at Signed & Numbered.