BEACONS - Nathaniel J. Bice - QAF Neon painting

QAF Neon

Acrylic on panel

16”x20”

Starting as a pop-up in the summer of 2022, Queer Arts Featured has become a beacon in the Castro. It’s the only shop in the Castro to sell only things made by local, queer artists, and they hold events from workshops to open mics to skill and resource sharing. QAF serves and uplifts queer artists like no one else. It occupies the same space that was once Supervisor Harvey Milk’s Castro Camera, which was also a center for arts and community in the Castro. 

I started bringing in prints a couple of years ago and over time grew closer to Devlin and the QAF team. I feel so at home here and I’m grateful to have a place to go in the neighborhood to just sit down and hang out. Consistent print sales through the shop have helped me grow my art practice and my confidence, and I am honored to have my first solo exhibition here in the gallery. 

The Queer Arts Featured sign was made by neon artist Ames Palms of Rebel Neon and is a great example of modern neon craftsmanship in a field that is not only still alive, but innovating and growing thanks to artists like them. Being an indoor sign that is backed by glass and behind glass, it presented a different challenge for me as a painter, considering the echoing reflections of the neon and the complex background of the shop. I especially enjoyed painting the disco mirror mannequin.