Category: Newsletter

October Artist of the Month: Rachel Hurst

Posted on | by Madi
Rachel is the youngest child of famed western artist Oleg Stavrowsky. Like her seven siblings, she grew up surrounded by world class art, learning the principles of good composition and design through constant exposure. She won her first art contest in 3rd grade and after college traveled to Italy to study Renaissance art. She soon began earning her living painting enormous ceiling and wall murals in the Italian fresco style.  
 
Rachel eventually discovered her passion for fine art on a much smaller scale, incorporating three of her favorite things: animals, abstract design, & color. She loves to juxtapose representational animals against an abstract background – backgrounds she paints to communicate the way she feels when looking at a particular creature. 
 
Rachel always exclusively has her fine art reproductions printed by Dana Burton – Miller’s fine art specialist. “Dana is an artist herself so she really understands the need to produce an accurate color match when making prints. She is an amazing person to work with and the turnaround times are great!”
 
Rachel happily donates 10% of all her art sale profits to Safe In Austin: a facility that homes and rehabilitates neglected animals and lovingly connects them with groups of abused and neglected children, allowing mutually loving relationships to develop between the two groups. She lives in Austin with her husband Travis and their two insane cats.  
 
Contact Rachel:
Instagram: @RachelHurstFineArt
Facebook: Rachel Hurst Fine Art
Website: RachelHurstFineArt.com
 
Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

September Artist of the Month: Kara Buse

Posted on | by Madi

A Central Texas native, artist and photographer Kara Buse finds beauty in the uniqueness of each individual, the diversity of the planet, and mother nature in all her glory. Kara is driven to discover the balance between expressing something that is deeply meaningful and creating a sense of joy that will touch the lives of others through her work.

Kara uses visual storytelling to showcase the organic, visceral human experience where words often fail. This is the WHY behind Kara’s work, and the reason for the Y in Wyld Roots. Kara has had the privilege of working with some of the most inspiring creatives and brands: strangers and friends who have supported and contributed to making Wyld Roots an inimitable lifestyle platform.

“I have been a loyal customer of Miller for going on 4 years now and I couldn’t be more happy with the quality of their work and people. Dana, the fine arts specialist, has given me so much joy by helping me honor the meaningful photography in my life through printed and tangible artifacts that I have sold in galleries or hung in my own home. She has nurtured my understanding of the art of printing and I am very grateful!”

Contact Kara:
Instagram: @wyld_roots
Website: wyldroots.com

Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

Featured Graphics: SMPS City Limits Event Signage

Posted on | by Madi

SMPS Austin hosted a welcome party to kick of the 2023 Amplify AEC National SMPS conference. The party was “ACL” themed and highlighted all things Austin culture with BBQ, live music, cocktails, and networking.

They welcomed a crowd from across the country and we were happy to provide support to our local Austin chapter who hosted the national conference this year.

In support of SMPS Austin, we printed a variety of signage and branded materials for the event. We produced foamboard welcome signs, menus, stir stick stickers for drinks, table tents, and retractable banners. We also printed window clings, raffle cards, a-frame signage, a mural banner, and even pedicab signage!

Keep us in mind if you need printed materials for your event!

If you would like to get started on a project with our graphics team, reach out to Sydney Donelson at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.

August Artist of the Month: Salvador Rodriguez

Posted on | by Madi
Salvador Rodriguez was born in Tijuana, Mexico. Perhaps inadvertently, he has painted and studied landscapes almost all his life. Salvador lived his childhood in the countryside not far from the city. From a very young age he used to run in the hills, climb mountains and spend a long time contemplating the landscape until sunset where he liked to keep all the details of the landscape in his memory and paint and draw them at home.
 
In high school Salvador first demonstrated his skills in painting without any previous studies. He participated and won first place at a local and national level, and thanks to this won a scholarship to attend drawing classes at the local college for a year. On the other hand, his interest and love for physics and science led him to be awarded a scholarship to attend college at ITESM in Monterrey where he obtained a degree in Engineering Computer Science in 1992.
 
“I pursued my career for over 23 years, traveling and visiting many places but never missed an opportunity to study landscaping and painting…even so, my production was very small. It wasn’t until I arrived in Austin in 2014 that I was able to really immerse myself in art and produce over 50 big paintings in a few years and be part of many exhibitions.
 
I love Texas and my favorite landscapes to paint are deserts, especially Big Bend where the mountains and sands are the frame of my paintings and along with the blue sky and its capricious clouds create a composition that gives me that energy and tranquility of balance that I tried to put in my paintings.
 
Also, my interest and passion for the study of the life of plants of different species and of trees have led me to participate in the art of Bonsai. I have immersed myself in Bonsai associations which have allowed me to understand and appreciate the tree’s life.
 
My work is the result of a meticulous study of nature; plants, rocks, clouds in detail that can be appreciated in the composition … and the balance of its strong and soft colors, which produce pleasure and tranquility when contemplating it.
 
My inspiration stems mostly from the landscapes of Big Bend and the desert of Texas and Northern Mexico, but I am also influenced by surrealism, and I consider art as an agent of change on social consciousness.
 
Each painting is a project of months or years of work that begins with a trip and study of the place, and ends in my workshop. After adding compositions in skies, plants and rocks to give balance, and before creating a plant on the canvas, I like to study them and know them previously, as well as their ecosystem and especially the history and myths of the place, which I try to capture in my works. So beyond trying to reproduce a photographic copy is a composition and recreation of the essence of the place with native plants.
 
My most used technique now is acrylic on canvas, for practicality, since it dries quickly and allows me mobility, but I have also worked with oil and more frequently watercolors and many drawings for my sketches.
 
Since my arrival in Austin 8 years ago I have painted over 46 artworks that have been exhibited mostly at EAST and WEST Austin Studio tours and other Art Gallery in Austin.”
 
Contact Salvador:
Instagram: @salvador.rodriguez_art
Website: SalvadorRodriguezArt

 

Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

July Artist of the Month: Ruth Lauer

Posted on | by Madi
Ruth Lauer studied at the Minneapolis School of Art and Design and lived for 10 years in Europe. She moved to Austin, Texas, in 1991 for the music. Working in oil and acrylic, Ruth’s paintings celebrate everyday life, community and/or poke fun at her own and humanity’s foibles. The featured painting, “Shirley’s Chicken Run”, was inspired by a neighbor’s backyard. The original painting sold, but prints are available.
 
“I create portraits, sometimes of people, food or animals, but also of private moments in public settings. I try to portray the emotion that a memory holds, and the calm of commonplace beauty.  And sometimes I just want to push color around.” An admirer of religious and narrative art, Ruth would like her paintings to evoke a personal memory or emotion in viewers.
 
Ruth has been using the Fine Art Services at Miller IDS for 20 years. “Dana Burton and the other friendly, professional staff at Miller IDS are a joy to work with. Dana knows the technicalities of art printing and always delivers an amazing product. Her eye is true.”
 
Contact Ruth:
Email: ruthybob56@hotmail.com

Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

June Artist of the Month: Richard Banh

Posted on | by Madi

Richard Banh was born in Vietnam and moved to Chapel Hill, NC with his family in 1975. Drawing and painting have been his passion since an early age. While attending North Carolina State, Richard was drawing cartoons and making short comic strips in between earning his degree in Mathematics and Computer Sciences. His cartoon series was published in the university’s Technician newspaper during his senior year.
 
From early 2007 to late 2009, Richard took classes from artist Denise Larue Mahlke, PSA. He was hoping to learn to paint with oil, though after a few lessons, Denise introduced him to pastels. “Their vibrancy and range of detail allow me to me to express my subjects’ emotions and my passion towards them.”

“My family is always inspiring my creativity and drive to make art. I’m married to my wonderful wife, with whom I have two beautiful daughters. And from my girls, I have 2 beautiful grandcats (as seen in some of my more recent paintings) and 2 granddogs (who have yet to be captured in pastel or paint).”

“My practice encompasses various subjects, such as landscape, still life, animals, and portraits. I love to capture the passing of clouds, or trickling streams, and even some feathered and furry friends.”
 
“Miller is the best place to get digital images for my paintings. The staff is always helpful and friendly. Dana is wonderful to work with, her knowledge of color accuracy is superb! You can always count on great results.”

Contact Richard:
Website: Austin Art & Frame

Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

 

Featured Graphics: Encotech Vinyl Wall Mural

Posted on | by Madi

Encotech Engineering Consultants is a central Texas engineering firm with offices in Austin and San Antonio. This mural was created for their new office location in San Antonio. The mural was an in-house job designed and produced in Adobe Illustrator by Juan Arango, Encotech’s Director of Marketing and Business Development. The communication goal is to showcase Encotech’s core values while celebrating the rich and diverse culture of San Antonio through some of its iconic imagery.  

For the Encotech San Antonio office, we were tasked with matching a specific blue hue that the client had requested; Sherwin Williams – Adriatic Sea. The client had already painted a number of the walls in the office this color, and they were hoping for a near exact color match to keep all installed office graphics cohesive and within brand guidelines. They’ve had issues with color matching on previous office graphics installed, so getting it right the first time was key. Color matching was only possible by obtaining a swatch from the client of the paint color used on the wall. We then compared that swatch to our book of Pantone colors and found the closest three visual matches. Our production team then printed samples of the color options with the exact material and laminate specifications that the installed vinyl would have. The final color was selected from the sample, which ensures that the final color selection would still be the best match when viewed with the laminate and vinyl material we specifically chose.

Since the wall we installed the graphics on was already the correct shade of blue, you may be asking, why not just cut the design out of white vinyl and apply that way? We opted for full-coverage vinyl panels to ensure the intricate design the client had proposed looked as sharp as possible, maintaining its crisp angles and sharp lines that the design called for. The client felt more comfortable executing the design in this way as it saved time, money, and eliminated the need for the design to be intricately cut out by our iEcho machine. The client’s design was printed directly to our 3M 40C vinyl and sealed with a 3M matte laminate to protect the finished surface from scratches and damage. The project was installed in under 3 hours and was completed in time to meet a deadline the client had set.

Contact Encotech:
Website: encotechengineering.com
Instagram: @encotech_ec
Facebook: Encotech Engineering Consultants
LinkedIn: Encotech Engineering Consultants, Inc.

If you would like to get started on a project with our graphics team, reach out to Sydney Donelson at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.

Graphics Feature: Westlake High School Baseball

Posted on | by Madi

Westlake High School wanted to pump up their players by refreshing their baseball locker room and dugout (who isn’t inspired by beautiful surroundings!). We teamed up with a graphic designer who could accomplish their motivational and design goals, then handled the printing and installation of the project.

We printed their graphics on large format adhesive vinyl, similar to a peel and stick wallpaper. This allowed our installers to put the graphics up in panels with the fewest number of seams possible. We recommended the proper vinyl that would adhere to the textured walls, in this case cinderblock. This material is able to stretch slightly to be smoothed over any texture.

Vinyl panels work for both indoor and outdoor use and are very easy to maintain. Because the vinyl has a smooth surface and is laminated, it can be wiped down if it starts looking dirty or dull, which is great for outdoor areas or spaces that are exposed to the elements.

Vinyl wall graphics are one of our favorite ways to brand a space because they really pack a punch. The process is fairly simple once the designs are created, making it one of the easiest ways to make a big visual difference pretty quickly.

We would love to help with your next graphics project whether that be with large-scale adhesive vinyl or something else!

Quick personal notes: Ralph Yznaga was the designer for these graphics. Ralph has designed other projects inside the locker rooms of Westlake and has worked with Miller in various capacities for years. He designed our current website! Alongside that, he is the Editor and Co-Owner of Edible Magazine! Our thanks goes out to Coach JT Blair at WHS; we helped him with the initial “rebrand” of the locker room about seven years ago and he called on us again to help this go-around. Thanks Coach!

If you would like to get started on a project with our graphics team, reach out to Sydney Donelson at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.

May Artist of the Month: Shakti Sarkin

Posted on | by Madi

Shakti Sarkin was born in Ohio, received her BFA with a Painting and Sculpture focus, at Kent State University, and lived in Los Angeles, England and South Africa, before residing in 78704 for the past 27 years. Before her children went off to college, she worked small-scale on her dining room table using soft pastels. Since then, with encouragement from her husband, she took over her home’s large front room for her studio where she paints larger canvases in oils, watercolors and acrylics. Shakti also creates metal sculptures by welding steel rod and affixing painted bark to them. Shakti’s artworks encompass figurative work, landscapes and abstracts.

Shakti has exhibited in Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock and Dallas, and has had many solo exhibits. She has won several art competitions, had one of her paintings appear on a nationally distributed magazine cover, and receives many commissions to paint murals, portraits, landscapes and sculptures.

Shakti says, “My art is about heart, evoking feelings, the appreciation of all life, and vibrancy through color.”

Contact Shakti:
Website: www.shaktisarkin.com
Instagram: @shaktisarkin
Facebook: Shakti Sarkin Art

Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

Graphics Feature: San Antonio Spurs Lamp Post Flags

Posted on | by Madi

The San Antonio Spurs hosted “Spurs Week” in Austin earlier this month, featuring events around Austin to kick off their games played at the Moody Center. The games were coined as the “I-35 Series” and marked the first regular season NBA games ever to be played in Austin. To advertise the exciting events, we printed lamp post signage to be installed around town.

The signs were installed around the South Congress area, including on the South Congress bridge, along both sides of the shopping district on South Congress, and around the Long Center and Auditorium Shores.

Lamp post signage is basically a two sided banner with pole pockets sewn into the top and bottom. We are on the approved vendor list for the City of Austin and can help with your flagpole project, too. This same concept of pole pockets is also used for trade show backdrops – we want to help you on those projects as well!

If you would like to get started on a project with our graphics team, reach out to Sydney Donelson at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.