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February 2022 Featured Graphics: Alexander Marchant

Posted on by Madi

Our new neighbors on Metric, Alexander Marchant, reached out to our graphics team to help with window signage and vinyl decal lettering. They requested that we print large logos, hours of operation, warehouse hours, list of vendors, and more.

We printed cut vinyl lettering and installed it on their windows and doors. To make sure the decals were visible from the street, we recommended white as the main color, and used an accent color for the list of vendors to help distinguish the different brands. 

Cut vinyl is a great way to add instructional signage, quick information, and branding to your business, both inside and out. Cut vinyl is also very customizable which makes it versatile and a great option for any business.

Website: www.alexandermarchant.com
Instagram: @alexander_marchant

If you have any questions about cut vinyl, or would like to get started on a project with our graphics team, reach out to Sydney Donelson at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.

 

February 2022 Artist of the Month: Rhea Groepper Pettit

Posted on by Madi

Rhea Groepper Pettit is a contemporary realist painter, and her subjects are typically people, animals, and still lifes. Pettit’s practice is rooted in traditional oil painting technique, while using contemporary subjects, compositions, and rendering. Pettit says, “You have to know the rules in order to break them”. Her experience as a graphic designer also influences her composition and color choices.

Pettit majored in fine art at the University of Texas, but the huge abstracts that were all the rage back then just weren’t her style, and she wanted to earn a living. Pettit switched to a more “practical” degree in graphic design, and for the next 25 years was a professional designer, doing a few paintings here and there, and a lot of digital collage for fun.

Since 2013, Pettit has diligently devoted time to practice fine art and grow as an oil painter, taking many workshops and painting from life on a regular basis (pre-pandemic). In 2016 she transitioned to painting full time as a professional artist.

Pettit has shown in Austin, Georgetown, Round Rock, NYC, Taylor, Waco, Dallas, and Conroe gallery group shows, and has had small solo shows in Austin, Georgetown, and Pflugerville (her home for 12 years). She has also won several awards in juried shows, and is honored to be a member of Capitol Art Society.

“I recently created a series of figures in nature, which I call “Heavenly Bodies” Twenty-eight of these paintings were included in a show at Dougherty Arts Center in December. I am currently working on a series of clothing on clotheslines, which is both nostalgic and modern.”

“I love Miller Imaging, and have been a customer since my design days back in the 90s! Dana is amazing, and has a great eye for detail and color. She is a true miracle worker; I always trust her to scan my paintings for fine art prints. Larry and the rest of the staff who I’ve worked with have all been professional and very welcoming. I feel like I’m walking into “Cheers” (where everyone knows your name) when I visit. That is a rare thing these days, and is very appreciated!”

Website: www.rgpettit.com
Instagram: @rheapettit

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

 

January 2022 Artist of the Month: Dwain Kelley

Posted on by Madi

Dwain Kelley’s paintings and drawings have slowly but surely evolved from an early realism— landscapes, primarily — to works that retain that foundation but explore the shape, line, and color relationships in a more experimental direction.

Even in the simplest pen-and-ink line drawing, there is always movement and tension. Some pieces are carefully orchestrated while others start off spontaneous and then develop naturally. With the exception of black-and-white drawings, almost all are mixed-media, utilizing gouache, graphite, and prismacolor pencil, pastels, and ink. Dwain’s approach to both life and art is essentially optimistic, and he conveys that quite successfully in all his works. 

Dwain Kelley: Website

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

January 2022 Featured Graphics: Brandon Miller Group Construction Banners

Posted on by Madi

Brandon Miller Group came to us for mesh construction banners for a new development, The Mercer. The Mercer is located in New Braunfels and will feature 42 single-level condos with shared community amenities, including a resort-style pool, entertaining bar & grills, covered lounge, yard games, and a dog park. The sales and marketing efforts are being handled by Brandon Miller Group, who requested 70 mesh banners installed on the fencing to brand the construction site.

Mesh construction banners are perfect for outdoor use because of the airflow able to get through the material. Other banners can whip around in the wind, causing damage, as well obstructing the design printed on the banner. Since the mesh allows air to flow through the banner, rather than fighting against it, it stays in place and stays visible.

We appreciate Brandon Miller Group for sending their business our way! If you are curious about The Mercer, you can visit their website, and if you are interested, they are now selling in New Braunfels, from the $200’s. 

Brandon Miller Group: website and Instagram
The Mercer: website and Instagram

For more information on banner options, or to place an order, contact our team at CSSR@MillerIDS.com!

December 2021 Artist of the Month: Lucina Suarez

Posted on by Madi

Born in Fort Worth, Texas, I am a child of Mexican immigrants. From a young age, I’ve enjoyed creating art—weaving, watercolor, mixed media, and recently acrylic painting. Nonetheless, art had been a sideline to a lifelong career in public health and epidemiology. Now retired, time allows me to paint with purpose and passion.

The story of my parents’ journey to the US has been a point of pride among our family. I wrote a book about their journey from Mexico to Texas and our family’s early years in America. The book, published shortly after my mother’s death in 2019, was edited by a journalist friend. With me not being able to afford her professional services, she bartered her skills for a painting—the subject matter left to me. At the time, my thoughts were on my mother, her life, and our world as youngsters. Experiencing her loss conjured up her kitchen, her endless tasks making tortillas and foods of her native land, her traditional tools to grind the corn—molcajete, the vegetables from her garden, the Navidad tradition of making tamales, and her stove. So, I filled my canvas with these memories—the figure of a young woman doing the work, thereby producing joy in the form of flowers flowing from her skirt.

I’m not a professional painter, strictly amateur, still learning. Still, I was loathed to give up the painting, but a deal was a deal. I normally take a photo of my paintings using my iPhone for my beginning portfolio. But for this painting, I took it to Miller, specifically to Dana, to preserve it in the best image possible. I am grateful to Dana, who made sure that the colors, particularly, the red in the skirt was true to the original painting.

-Lucina Suarez

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

November 2021 Featured Graphics: First “Artist of the Month” Calendar!

Posted on by Madi

It is Miller Calendar time! This year we are printing two varieties of calendars in-house! We will have our annual Don Collins calendar for those who like the tradition, plus a new calendar that features all the incredible artists who we featured as our artists of the month throughout 2021! 

We are excited to be doing something new with the calendar this year, and hope you share in the excitement! 

Drop in the stores after December 1st to pick up your calendars, or place your order here!

 

November 2021 Artist of the Month: Angel Chiasson

Posted on by Madi

Angel Chiasson has lived in Austin for most of her life since she was a freshman in high school. Her love of art showed up in early childhood where she would be found (to the shock of her parents) drawing on walls and the underside of tables. Angel would eventually corral that passion into a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with a Teacher Certification from Southwest Texas State University (Texas State!). Angel taught art for many years in public schools and in her own private studio.

Angel paints a variety of subject matter and is very inspired by nature. Forefront in her art is bold, bright colors and patterns. “Playful art that makes people happy sounds simple, but it means so much to me when I hear from people that viewing and having my art in their home makes them feel happy. From experience, I know well that life can be hard and sometimes sad. I make this art to send out joy!”

“I love exploring new techniques and subject matter, but my love of color has always stayed true. Inspired by the “Fauve” Expressionist movement, I use bright colors and juxtapositions. To me, Color = Happy and I want to reflect the beauty and joy that can be found in this one great life.”

“I pick and choose certain original paintings to be scanned for prints by Dana. Because I use such bright saturated colors in my work, color-matching and clarity is important so that the happy exuberant feeling comes through. Dana has done an amazing job matching my originals and provided incredible professional prints that I can offer my collectors.”

Website: angelchiasson.com
Instagram: @angelchiassonart
 
Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

October 2021 Featured Graphics: CBI Group

Posted on by Madi

Culture Based Interiors (CBI Group) is a leading commercial office interior provider in South Texas, with clients such as TJH Law, Logicmonitor, Caterpillar and HCA Healthcare.

CBI Group enlisted our services to add wow factor to their Austin showroom space and also add visual safety to their glass walls.

More and more companies are using glass partitions to create separate rooms without blocking light and visibility. This gives the feeling of one communal space, but gives individuals their own space and privacy for meetings, phone calls, etc. 
 
As the use of glass walls has increased, so have the requests for vinyl applications by our team. We want to help with your space if you also have a need for improved visibility of glass walls. Many customers add their logo, mission statement, company motto, or decorative designs to their partitions to add visual interest and to personalize the wall or door.

Reach out to CBI Group for any of your office furnishing needs, and learn more about them at www.cbi-office.com!

CBI Group Website: Website
CBI Group Instagram: @culturebasedinteriors

CBI Group is our new neighbor down the street on Metric and they shared more photos of their showroom with us!

For more information on graphics printing, please contact Sydney at CSSR@MillerIDS.com

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October 2021 Artist of the Month: Joseph Valadez

Posted on by Madi

Joseph Valadez is from San Antonio. He went to the University of Texas at Arlington and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelors of Science in Information Systems. Joseph enjoys spending time in the small towns of New Braunfels and Gruene, Texas, where most of his family lives. He moved to Austin in late 2020 to start working as a Systems Analyst.

His time spent out of work consists of running, kayaking, camping, fishing, and many other outdoor activities where most of his inspiration arises. Joseph paints mainly with acrylic and watercolor while also exploring other types of art such as sculpting and ceramics. Joseph says that his most recent and invested painting started when he moved to Austin.

“Gruene Hall at Dusk” took approximately 150 hours, and was completed in March of 2021. “Gruene reminds me of a place where I have shared great times with friends and family. This piece was painted for my daughter which encouraged me to bring out my best work.”

“The prints that Miller IDS provided have portrayed every detail that my original painting has. Dana Burton has kept in direct contact with me during my process of scanning my artwork and made sure that I received the highest quality prints. Dana and her team make this process easy and stress free. I can trust Miller IDS with my artwork and I am looking forward to continuing working together.”

Joseph’s Instagram: @jsph.valadez

Joseph’s Email: jsphvaladez@yahoo.com

Joseph’s Phone Number: 210-209-0980

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

September 2021 Featured Graphics: Texas Tiny Pools

Posted on by Madi

Texas Tiny Pools hosted their second annual tiny pool tour last weekend. Texas Tiny Pools was founded by our good friend Amy Hageman and her husband Tyler. They recognized the need for a pool in this crazy hot city we live in, and while not everyone needs or has space for a large pool, Amy and Tyler found a way to build a pool in the smallest of yards, so you can still take a dip to cool down.

Amy and Erin Rapp, Tiny Pools’ Chief of Communications + Research, came to us to help print their collateral for the event, and she came with plenty of ideas! Here’s a run through of what we produced:

We printed multi-page brochures with a staple binding that acted as a guide to the event as well as a tour passport. At each location they stamped the brochure, and at the end of the tour, if you went to every pool, you got a prize! The brochure featured details on the pools including building materials, add-on features, and a rough cost of the pool.

We also printed h-stake yard signs to point visitors in the right direction in the neighborhoods, as well as yard signs that detailed the specificities of each pool on-site.

Amy wanted a large frame for a Tiny Pool photo-op, which we printed on coroplast, and cut on our iEcho router. Lastly, we printed design boards on coroplast so that clients choices could be shown together.

The event was a great success and we were glad to be a part of it! We love Amy and her company and their ability to create dream pools in a size anyone can manage!

Texas Tiny Pools’ Website
Texas Tiny Pools’ Instagram: @texastinypools

For more information on graphics printing, please contact Sydney at CSSR@MillerIDS.com

September 2021 Artist of the Month: Hunter Saltzgiver

Posted on by Madi

“Ignoring the need to create something would be ignoring who I am at my core. I’ve always leaned toward picking up a pencil or a brush and seeing what happened next. Most of the time I am encouraged by what I make, but it’s always the feeling I have while creating that I return for. That feeling guides my artistic pursuits.”

Hunter Saltzgiver went to Azusa Pacific University and got a degree in fine art. Saltzgiver then taught K-8 Art in his hometown of Colorado Springs for 5 years before moving to Austin in 2016. Saltzgiver always planned on teaching art and never really planned on making his art into a business, but he said, “when you do something everyday that people enjoy, and you run out of wall space in your home, I guess that’s how it goes.”

Now, Saltzgiver does custom commission work on the side of his creative work. He paints animals (mainly dogs and bears) with acrylics, and he also forms relief landscapes with layered gesso that he calls ‘Whitescapes’.

“All of my bear paintings over the last 2 years I have gotten scanned through Miller IDS. These paintings have a lot of color variety, layers of contrasting colors, and I infrequently mute my paint making scans a tough thing to dial in. Dana, at the 7th St. location, has the critical eye to match nearly every scan I’ve thrown at her and those that haven’t she’s been easy to work with on making the adjustments. I keep going back to Miller for their professionality, their performance and their pricing.”

Feel free to reach out and inquire about pricing on Hunter’s creative work you see on Instagram, making a custom bear or ‘Whitescape’, or commissioning any of the common gifts like pet portraits and wedding gifts.
 
 
Hunter’s Website
Hunter’s Instagram: @saltgivingart
 
Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.
 

August 2021 Featured Graphics: Waterloo Turf Business Collateral

Posted on by Madi

Waterloo Turf Co. brings 5+ years of local turf and installation knowledge to every project site they step foot on. With several hundred thousand square feet of turf installations under their belt, they know how to maximize your space and capture your perfect yard.

Waterloo Turf is held to the highest quality standard on the market backed by their manufacturer’s 15 year warranty. Every Waterloo Turf product is built to be safe and guaranteed to be lead-free, making it great for families, kids and pets. From general lawn replacements to pet systems, custom speed putting greens and playgrounds, Waterloo Turf has everything you need to create, envision and build your dream backyard!

We can print your business’ marketing collateral, not just your exhibit boards and business cards! We produce name tags, brochures, flyers, booklets, and more!

For Waterloo Turf, we produced and printed a variety of business collateral. We printed business cards, turf tags to identify samples, flyers, and a contour-cut (non-rectangular) foamcore sign for customers to be photographed with. 

We really appreciate customers like Waterloo Turf reaching out for these supporting printed documents! What can we do for you?

Waterloo Turf Website
Instagram: @waterlooturf

For more information on our Graphic Printing services, please contact Elesha at CSSR7@MillerIDS.com. 

July 2021 Artist of the Month: Ally Aiken

Posted on by Madi

Ally Aiken is a watercolor artist & graphic designer. She went to the University of Texas and graduated in 2018 – she loved Austin so much that she decided to stay! Ally likes to paint & design all sorts of things but her most recent endeavor has revolved around golf.

 

One of Ally’s favorite paintings is the one that started it all! Her first golf course painting was the Royal Wellington Golf Club in New Zealand, which she painted for her boyfriend, Campbell, making it very special to her. Campbell lived in New Zealand for six months to work as a golf pro at the club. She said he is fond of his time in Wellington and wanted a way to commemorate it. He asked Ally if she could paint something related to the course that he could frame in his room, which started her whole business. Ally said she was overwhelmed with support when she posted a picture of the course she made for her boyfriend, and things really took off from there.

 

Another special course she has painted is of Ojai, California. Ally said she was at the post office during Christmas time, packaging prints to send to people as gifts, when a man saw her work and ordered a custom piece as an anniversary gift for his wife on the spot. There is a small oak tree painting on the course, symbolizing the spot they got married.

“I paint custom course maps of golf courses all over the world and make them into digital art prints, which is where Miller IDS has been a lifesaver! Working with Dana & the rest of the team at Miller has made my life stress free when it comes to getting beautiful prints of my work. I am so thankful for the work they do and am excited to continue to work together.”

Ally’s Etsy Shop: Ally Aiken Design
Ally’s Instagram: @allyaikendesign

 

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

June 2021 Artist of the Month: Tommy Belton

Posted on by Madi

Tommy Belton is a native Austinite, growing up in East and South Austin. Photography was always a creative outlet Belton was interested in pursuing, and 5 years ago, he borrowed his mom’s DSLR camera and learned to use it watching YouTube videos.  Soon after, Belton bought his own camera and has been pursuing photography ever since.   

“I have a deep love for this city, so I decided to start a Photography Project called ‘This Is Austin’ where I photograph iconic Austin businesses, public spaces, restaurants, music venues, etc. that make Austin ‘Austin’.”

“Since day one, Miller Imaging and Digital Solutions has been my printing partner. Dana Burton, in the Fine Art Department, has been so great to work with. She is always incredibly responsive and offers great ideas to make sure my clients get prints they will be happy with. I can’t say enough good things about Dana and the team at Miller.”

Tommy’s Etsy Shop: This Is Austin

Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art and photography printing.

April 2021 Featured Graphics

Posted on by Madi

We submitted these seven pieces of work on behalf of our customers for judging in the Print Industry of America (PIA) MidAmerica’s “Graphic Excellence Awards” or GraphEx. Five won Best of Category and will move on to being judged at a National Level.

As you take pride in your work, we take pride in producing your work! We are proud of ourselves and of you for these beautiful pieces. Thank you to these amazing companies and individuals who trust us to produce a phenomenal product. 

We will keep you updated on the National awards when they are announced.

For more information on our Graphic Printing services, please contact Elesha at CSSR7@MillerIDS.com. 

April 2021 Artist of the Month

Posted on by Madi

Fine Art Scans and Reproductions

Featured Artist: Jessica Fontenot

 

Jessica grew up outside of Houston but is a Louisiana-native. She is a Texan with a deep love and nostalgia for Cajun life, like homemade gumbo and zydeco music. Jessica went to college at Texas Tech, and always knew Austin was where she would end up. She got a graphic design degree, moved to Austin, and worked for agencies as a designer. 

Jessica always made art on the side, as a way to explore her creativity away from the computer and clients. She began a drawing project in 2016 of drawing a building every day for a full year, 365 buildings. They were mostly of Austin and chronicled the changing landscape of the city as it gentrified through the 2010s. A fair amount of the drawings are buildings that have since been torn down and businesses that closed. This year-long project helped Jessica develop her style and led her to her career as an illustrator. 

“One of the big reasons I love drawing buildings and places is how it’s an anchor for our memories. We all hold stories of places from our past inside ourselves, and we all have different relationships to the same place. When I look at buildings, I wonder about who loves this place, who worked here for years, who met a partner or a friend here, etc.”

“When businesses here in Austin began closing soon after the pandemic started, I dreamt of making a piece dedicated to these places. But I was beaten down by the pandemic myself, so I let the idea go. Then as 2020 came to a close, I saw the New York Magazine cover dedicated to 500+ closed NYC businesses and a voice popped up, ‘Jessica, you are the person to do this for Austin. It is literally your job to make this. Do it.’ So, I relinquished and began.”


Jessica drew 28 businesses, for her “What We’ve Lost” series, ranging from the youngest of 5 years (Barracuda) to the oldest of 87 years (Threadgill’s). The original art is large at 28×40″, and she shrunk the work down to 18×24″ for the print edition. “I wanted to capture a slice of Austin’s history from the last few decades and memorialize some of the businesses that made Austin, Austin.”
 
“Miller was a delight to work with. Easy and helpful. I talked with Dana, who connected me to Jacy to complete the job. One of the memories of working with y’all that will always stick with me, is when I went to pick up my order, and the man who brought the posters out said, “You made everybody here cry real tears!” And we had a really nice conversation about the artwork and our changing city, with a lot of laughs and heart-warming smiles. Thank you, Miller!”
 
Jessica’s Instagram: @jcfonte
Jessica’s Website: Shop.JessicaFontenot.com
 
Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art replication.

March 2021 Newsletter

Posted on by Madi

Custom Promotional Merchandise 

Nutrabolt (C4) Promotional Challenge Coins

We can now print promotional items such as pens, coffee mugs, face masks, and more!

We are always looking for unique jobs we have done to share with our customers, and this is definitely one of those. This really unique opportunity presented itself when sports nutrition company, Nutrabolt (C4), reached out to us to produce challenge coins to grow their military presence. 

Traditionally, a challenge coin is a small coin or specially cut medallion, with an organization’s insignia or emblem pressed or embossed into it. The challenge coin is carried by the organization’s members, or put on display. They can also be collected by service members and law enforcement personnel. Historically, challenge coins were presented by unit commanders in recognition of special achievement by a member of the unit. 

Nutrabolt wanted a way to create brand awareness and brand recognition on military bases, and decided to lean into military traditions in order to do so in a special and memorable way.

Nutrabolt is getting ready to roll out their C4 yellow cans in the military through their beverage distributors. The idea of creating a challenge coin came from one of their distributors who covers several military bases. They plan to present the coins to distributor sales teams covering the bases, as well as store management on-base. The challenge coins will be used for displays, incremental placements, and as a tool for brand recognition that falls in-line with military customs.

We love getting to work on special projects like this one, and really appreciate when customers come to us with creative ideas we get to help bring to reality!

For more information on promotional items please contact Ryan, at Ryan.Bruce@MillerIDS.com 

 

Wheat Paste Photography Printing 

Featured Artist: Sarah Wilson

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*photos courtesy of Sarah Wilson*

Sarah Wilson is an Austin-raised photographer and cinematographer. Her passion for photography and storytelling was born here, at Austin High. Sarah pursued a classical photography education at NYU’s Tisch School and remained in New York City throughout her twenties. She started as an intern and assistant for some of her photography heroes, including Mary Ellen Mark, Ken Schles, Robert Clark, and James Evans before creating her own body of work.

Since 2000, Sarah has worked professionally, balancing personal projects, documentary films and editorial assignments. She has worked for The New York Times Magazine, Time, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, Texas Monthly, and others. Her work has been acquired by the Harry Ransom Center and the Museum of Fine Arts Houston. Sarah is also teaching Expressive Photography at ACC’s Department of Professional Photography, encouraging students to pursue personal projects, alongside their commercial work.

As a documentary filmmaker Sarah has served as Director of Photography and Producer, working alongside her husband, Director Keith Maitland, on the films, TOWER, an animated retelling of the 1966 UT Tower shooting, and A SONG FOR YOU: The Austin City Limits Story. Both films premiered at SXSW in 2016. TOWER received three SXSW awards, a Critics Choice Award, and the Emmy for Best Historical Documentary. Their newest documentary, DEAR MR. BRODY, was set to premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival—but both were cancelled due to COVID-19. Sarah said, “We are excited that the film was featured at the SXSW virtual film festival last week.”

“I like to photograph people- I love telling stories…but I also like to be in the lonely West Texas desert, photographing in the stark landscape.”

Essentials Q&A

What pulled you to honor and highlight these women essential workers?

As the pandemic set in and our community was asked to shelter in place, I quarantined with my immediate family. As a photographer, my work was not deemed essential, but something about the word ‘essential’ really spoke to me. I became especially grateful for the workers that were keeping our community safe and moving forward. I started to think about the women workers, many of whom were juggling responsibilities at home, while facing this public health crisis due to their ‘essential’ work.  Inspired by these women, I felt an overwhelming need to recognize their courage, so I started taking portraits of essential women workers in Austin, on location, outside, at their workplace. As the body of work started to expand, I decided to submit the work to the City of Austin Museums and Cultural Programs grant, called ArtsResponders: Social Practice Responds to COVID-19. I was excited that the project was selected, but that was just the beginning.

How did you find these specific women to photograph?

In partnership with the Dougherty Arts Center and ArtsResponders, we put out a call for entries for people in the Austin area to nominate the essential women workers in their lives.  We chose 15 honorees to photograph out of over 100 nominations, and instead of having an indoor gallery show, we decided to present the work as large-scale wheat-pasted portraits on the sides of participating buildings throughout Austin.

Any plans to do another project in this same style?

I think I caught the wheat paste bug! Now I feel like everything has to be big and public!

How did you decide on wheat paste?

With the ArtsResponders grant, I needed to keep my budget low, while at the same time creating a public art exhibition. Weatherproof photographic materials can be very expensive to print, and just as expensive to install. While brainstorming presentation solutions with Annie, my rep at the Dougherty Arts Center, we came up with the idea of wheat-pasted portraits. I was definitely inspired by the artist JR, and his large-scale wheat paste installations. I decided we needed some large-scale portraits of women workers here in Austin!

What has the feedback been like on the photographs?

We’ve had a very positive response to the work, through the local news media, on Instagram, and word of mouth. Yesterday on Instagram, I saw that a nurse had taken a photo of herself next to the large-scale portrait of an ICU nurse. In the comments, she said that seeing these 19ft tall portraits made her feel that her hard work on the frontline was also being recognized. This is what I intended- that each of these portraits would come to represent the thousands of women in our community who have worked so hard to keep our community safe and moving forward. This project is a big thank you!

How did you choose Miller to print the photos?

I chose Miller because I’ve been a customer on and off over the years, and the location was very convenient for me. I did some research and found out that Miller could print 36” x 48” on a lighter weight paper, which works well for wheat paste. After the first round of test prints, I learned that Miller has very quick turnaround times, and has a super-friendly staff. It’s a treat when Larry brings my order out to the parking lot…what a nice guy! 

Anything else you want to add?

Another exciting aspect of the project is the Instagram site, @essentialsatx. We not only feature photos of the large-scale portrait installations, but we also post the images and stories of all the nominees even those that weren’t selected. It’s starting to become a great online community and a way to honor these awesome women.

Essentials Instagram: @essentialsatx
Sarah’s Instagram: @swilsonfoto
Sarah’s Website: Sarah Wilson Photography
Sarah and Keith’s Film Production Company: Go-Valley

January 2021 Newsletter

Posted on by Madi

Custom Adhesive Outdoor Mural 

Featured Graphics: Metric Mural Final Reveal

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Like many other businesses, we are conducting business through curbside service and delivery. We wanted to bring advertising outside where our customers are — plus show off our graphics printing and installation capabilities.

We decided to update the exterior of our Metric store location with a custom mural printed in-house on our HP 1500 latex printer. We used Drytac anti-graffiti lamination to make our mural durable and easy to clean. To prep the wall and give our mural the best chance at adhering long-term, we first had to power wash it. We opted for a fresh coat of paint so that the colors would pop. The final prep was to let the paint “gas out” for 2 weeks. 

We wanted to thank the sponsors of our mural for their support in our Metric makeover. Thank you to Alonzo Suarez of ASM Painting for power washing our wall to get it prepped for the entire process, Clements Paint for supplying our new coat of paint, Tom Page for installation services, and our very own Vittoria Mottler for the incredible design!

The majority of the mural was all hand cut by our graphics production team, and the music note details and logo were cut by our iEcho router. Considering the face of our building endures some pretty heavy sun exposure, we don’t anticipate seeing any quality changes for the first 6 months. After 6 months, we may start to see some minor fading, but the mural itself, under normal weathering circumstances, will remain intact. The adhesive on the vinyl melts into the textured surface of the concrete, so there shouldn’t be any lifting happening (under normal weathering circumstances) for at least a couple years.

As far as the design goes, we wanted to include the ever-growing Austin skyline with the silhouettes of recognizable buildings across the entire background of the mural. We featured a lot of iconic Austin imagery, because Miller is an iconic staple in the Austin print community. The graphic elements are all representative of Austin and Texas as a whole, which we think all Austinites and Texans can appreciate. The blue color scheme comes from our logo, and a pop of new color represents another aspect of Miller growing and expanding, especially in the Graphics Department.

We featured 6th Street, not only because it is famous in Austin, but also as a nod to our long-standing time on 6th Street before relocating to East 7th. We included the quintessential phrase, “Keep Austin Weird” accompanied by a dancing taco, because us Austinites love our tacos. We paid tribute to our home of 100 years with “512 Home” written down the door, and “We Love Austin” further down the wall paired with a horseshoe — because all Texans ride horses. Being in the Live Music Capital of the World, we had to include some music notes dancing across the skyline. We hope that those who drive by our building find some joy from our mural and may be inspired to change up their space with our help.

We had so much fun coming up with all the design aspects, prepping the space as a team, and sharing it with our community! If you want to add a fun graphic element to your building, space, office, even home, reach out to our graphics team; they would love to help!

To change up your space for the new year, contact Vittoria at Vittoria.Mottler@MillerIDS.com  

Fine Art Scans & Printing

Featured Artist: Anna Lisa Leal

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Anna Lisa was born in Laredo on the border of Texas and Mexico. There, her father planted many fruit trees including tangerine, orange, lime, peach and fig. She spent many days playing under and in the tangerine trees in her backyard. She spent hours drawing in the shade of the trees where her mother set her up with a large pad on a bench and Anna Lisa on a small chair. Anna Lisa says she’s been a creative as long as she can remember — whether it was drawing, dancing or creating in other ways. She continued to draw through her high school and college years, recreating images from magazines and doing portraits on request. Anna Lisa left Laredo at the age of 16 and moved to central Texas where she attended college at Texas State University in San Marcos.

Over time, her love of visual art was set aside for more “practical” studies and ultimately a corporate career. In 2008, as part of her personal renewal, she returned to the garden to draw. Anna Lisa said, “Although I lost my sense of time while I drew, I found myself and inner harmony through art. I felt like a child again. I was experiencing the world with new eyes”, and she hasn’t stopped creating since.

She loves to work with pastels because “the colors are unparalleled – pigments at their purest!” She also calls pastels her adult crayons and has explored the medium voraciously from the moment she picked them up. Upon moving to her current property, she spent the first few years creating art through landscaping. When there was no more room for real gardens, her gardens and its inhabitants began to extend into her artwork. 

Anna Lisa’s artwork embodies the patterns of nature, particularly botanicals. She is driven to create paintings which reflect nature’s captivating beauty, and it is her artistic mission to transport nature’s beautiful design to indoor living spaces. As a lifetime Texan, the various floral and animal inhabitants of the Southwest, specifically Big Bend, New Mexico and Arizona are frequent subjects of her work, as well as the Sonoran and Chihuahua deserts. 

“My heart is with the agave. I am moved by the stateliness of the agave and the seemingly endless variations in size, colors and shapes. I enjoy the colorful and dangerous beauty of cactus, the undulation of the agave leaf imprinted by the now unfurled leaf, and the poignant swan song beauty of the agave flower. But, I am also enamored with tropical flowers particularly those in Hawaii and Costa Rica.”

See more of Anna Lisa’s art on her website.