Wolfman

Because I love everything Halloween and everything wolf at the moment, I'm offering a limited run of these small Wolfman ORIGINAL graphite drawings in my shop at brandimilne.com!! Each one is hand drawn, measures 4"x6" and is based on what you see here. This offer is good NOW through midnight PST Sunday, October 11th. $100 shipped within the US. Happy Happy Halloween!!

Feed The Wolf

Here is Feed The Wolf, graphite and colored pencil on paper for the Corey Helford Gallery "Your Penciled Masses" group show showing now through October 24th in Culver City! This piece is a story about a strange woman's love for a hungry lone wolf in the wild. The wolf has just lost his love and has no more life to live now that she's gone. This drawing was inspired by the Halloween season that I love so so much. I find myself wanting everything wolf at the moment. This was really fun to work on and was (is) such a great show! All the pieces are brilliant!! If you are on Instagram, you can see a video of this piece being made, sadly, Blogger doesn't have video format that seems to work for me :(

Once Upon A Time, Life Was Sweeter Than We Knew

Here is my painting Once Upon A Time, Life Was Sweeter Than We Knew (acrylic on wood) for Corey Helford Gallery's group show back in July! This is a story about being the author of your own life and choosing to enjoy the wonderful moments that life presents to you. I'm really loving reds and whites at the moment, I've kind of been obsessed! I can't stop painting cherries and all I want is for everything to be translucent! When I was little, I was certainly obsessed with candy (as maybe lots of little kids might be!) and I used to get these Jolly Rancher sticks that were flat and small and had a translucency that I can't get out of my head. Specifically the watermelon flavor - that particular color of pink is what inspired this little lamb's feather in her hat and her top...and the rainbow and the cherries and the cherry syrup she's sitting in. Obsessed.

Huddled to take a picture at the show opening (cus pics are the most important part?) with (myself) Sherri Trajan, Jan Corey Helford, Sara Folkman, Natalia Fabia & Lola

Jan Corey Helford & Natalia Fabia

Jessica Louise, Rob, Brandi Milne, Ryh-Ming Poon, Lola

Brandi Milne, Jan Corey Helford & Natalia Fabia

And from behind, Lola, Ryh-Ming Poon, Brandi Milne, Rob and Jessica Louise

Be Good, For Goodness Sake!

Here is my painting "Be Good For Goodness Sake" (acrylic on wood) for Corey Helford Gallery's Product Displacement show in May this year. (I'm a little slow now on the blog updates, forgive me!)

At first I was thinking of doing ice cream with the snowmen - the ad being for Meadow Gold Ice Cream. Here's that sketch from my sketchbook. But the show was about product DISPLACEMENT rather than product placement - Ice cream/snowmen, that makes too much sense. I took a more sinister approach borrowing "milk of the poppy" from HBO's Game of Thrones which is a medical drink, used as both a painkiller and an anesthetic. Higher doses will induce unconsciousness (as you will not on the bottom of the bottle). In the show it is commonly used for those poor souls who have suffered severe injuries. (thank you Wikipedia) The idea is (one that is common in my work) the naivety of the snowmen dunking their cookies in the "milk" and leaving their fate to the imagination. I had so much fun with these little snowmen that I soon became obsessed painting them, studying them. Is it lame if from here on out I only paint snowmen and cherries? I can't stop.

(milk with straw reference)

This was just one of the studies set to Diane Rene's Kiss Me Sailor (I hope it works!) If not, please see it on my Instagram - I'm @brandimilne

This is my newest piece for a private collection titled "Hello Moon!" - graphite and colored pencil on paper. The collector commissioned the piece for her 2 year old daughter's birthday, and sketching ideas for the drawing got me remembering having been little myself and spending hours studying my favorite illustrations in the many thrifted (children's) books I had growing up. To think of having some influence on that child's imagination and how she identifies with the world around her is such a huge gift to be afforded, and I wanted to shoot for the stars - or literally the moon in this case. In the piece the lamb is looking up at the moon daydreaming of a life that's larger than life as she knows it. She is having tea with her friends, hugging and reading books because what better way to spend your day :)

These boots are amazing and I had to put them in :)

And a new drawing titled "Dance Me To The End" - graphite on paper. I did this drawing for myself - a luxury I FORCED myself to carve out time to do. It was inspired by one of my latest (and favorite) paintings I created at the end of last year titled "Your Song" (I wrote about it HERE) which was inspired by Elton John's music. The drawing is about the music of your life - the inspirations and loves from which you pull and ultimately what comes out of you as a result of what goes in. And I love a great grey day, there's something so reflective in the quiet of the cold. Grey days were some of the best days growing up and now they're so few and far between in Southern California :(

({Your Song as it was at the LA Art Fair with Corey Helford Gallery, photo by John Purlia})

Simply Being

Here I am once again at the place right before beginning a new body of work. I have a solo show lined up with the Corey Helford Gallery but have not chosen a date. Being dead line free for the first time in my professional career feels a little weird - yet freeing.

The idea of allowing myself TIME is a strange one. Time to research, time to explore, time to enjoy, time to relax and NOT jump back onto the treadmill of constant creating? It's new. And I'm excited to see what comes of it.

So sketching daily, writing, studying, exploring, living, breathing and simply FEELING is what I'm going to be doing...that's exploration in itself.

Hope all is well out there...

Happy

Hello!! xxo, Brandi :)

How Again To Begin

My new painting "How Again To Begin" (acrylic on wood) will be on exhibition this Saturday (Jan. 24th) at the Corey Helford Gallery Circa in Culver City as part of their "Freaks & Americana: An Exploration of Big Top Culture" group show!!

This painting was so fun to work on as I have always been inspired by American circus-type imagery. It's escapism at it's best - chaos & candies & clowns!

The story hidden inside this painting is very personal, each character represents someone in my life. But the concept is about starting new - going back to the basics and rebuilding our structure. A lovely little thing about being human is that there is always room for improvement :)

Do come and say hello if you are in the LA area - door opens at 7pm and goes til 10pm!

2014 Was A Hell Of A Year (photo album)

You know how some years stand out in your life more than others? I'm gonna say 2014 is going down in history for me. She was a tough one, but a good one, and I'll never forget her. This is one of my three pieces I did for the Tiny Trifecta show in summer at Tara McPherson's Cotton Candy Machine in New York.

Yours truly, Brandi Milne

My largest painting, and show title piece, Here Inside My Broken Heart, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Humpty Dumpty, in bed sick

Brandi Milne & Jan Corey Helford at Luke Chueh's show at Circa Gallery in Culver City

I had a big show this year titled Here Inside My Broken Heart, in a pop-up location in Culver City with the Corey Helford Gallery. Here I am taking it in a few days before it was closing. All the stuff that 2014 handed me went right into the paintings for this show, as my work is a reflection of my life. Eep it was pretty heavy.

My painting I Never Dreamed Of Such A Place, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Detail shot of the mourners from my painting "Who I Once Was" -acrylic on wood.

Self portrait, Brandi Milne

My painting The Song He Sings To Me, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Here Inside My Broken Heart show catalogs that were available at the show opening

Mr. Bob Self, the mastermind behind Baby Tattooville in Riverside, I sure love this guy!

All the artists -featured and returning from left to right: Laurie Brom, Gerald Brom, Jeff Soto, Bob Self, Brian Smith, Joe Sorren, Tara McPherson, Bob Dob, Eric Fortune, Brandi Milne, Lola, Gris Grimly, Johnny Rodriguez at the Riverside Museum

Lola and I collaborated in the Art Jam, here's her Pokey and my Gumby!

Some of my favorite dudes: Andy Diesel of Diesel Fuel Prints, my favorite guy, Robert, Lola at the Mission Inn for Baby Tattooville

My painting Feed Your Head, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Joe Sorren, Bob Dob, Jeff Soto and Tara McPherson working on the Art Jam at Baby Tattooville

Cute Tara McPherson screen printing with Diesel Fuel Prints at Baby Tattooville

Tara McPherson, Brandi Milne, Lola self portrait

Bob Dob, Eric Fortune and Joe Sorren signing prints at Baby Tattooville

Brandi Milne, Miss Mindy - friends forever :)

A cute little commission Holiday Takes A Holiday, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

During the making of my painting I Never Dreamed Of Such A Place -acrylic on wood

Benihana with Shawn Barber, Kim Saigh, R, Brandi Milne, Lola, Robert

Self portrait, Brandi Milne, sick as a dog with a fever in summer :(

My painting Long After This, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Tomi Monstre, Brandi Milne at Greg Simkins show in LA at the Merry Karnowski Gallery

Brandi Milne, Camille Rose Garcia

Brandi Milne, Lola, Ryh Ming Poon, Natalia Fabia

My painting See With Your Eyes, This Beautiful Creature, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Drawing my forever muse - cat girl in fishnets

Bobby Kim and Brandi Milne

My painting Your Song, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Detail Shot of my painting Your Song - tribute to Elton John for the Sound & Vision Show at the old Sound City Studios

Brandi Milne and Jan Corey Helford at Circa Gallery in Culver City

Luke Chueh at Here Inside My Broken Heart in Culver City

Natalia Fabia, Brandi Milne, Lola and Kim Saigh at Lola's show The Younger in Los Angeles

My painting Hold Fast, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Brandi Milne self portrait, in bed Orange County

Painting another forever muse, snowman!

Brandi Milne, Bob Dob, Lola at Bob's show at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles

My painting The Little Death, acrylic on wood, Brandi Milne

Lola, Luke Chueh, Brandi Milne at Luke's Show in Culver City

My obsession :)

My Feature in Beautiful Bizarre Magazine!!

An antique rocking chair featuring fabric with my artwork Baron of the Deep by Rubbish Rehab in baby's room!

My favorite hat to paint in - only when I've got the strength!

Miss Mindy, Bob Self (birthday boy) and Brandi Milne

Soothe Yourself

Lola and Brandi Milne at Lola's show in Los Angeles

This little dude :)

Brandi Milne, Self Portrait, Orange County

Tiny detail shot of my painting Here Inside My Broken Heart, acrylic on wood

Lovely Cinderella's Castle, my hometown

And this pretty little thing, Jessica Louise and Brandi Milne at Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City

Funnest trip to Disneyland in the pouring rain, carrousel with Lacey Jean!

My Bubby

For my Richie, Castle Grayskull