Category: Newsletter

March Artist of the Month: Becca Borrelli

Posted on | by Madi

Becca Borrelli is a nationally recognized illustrator, muralist, educator and speaker, based out of Austin, TX. Her digital drawings, original paintings, and intuitive art making courses are avenues to share a hopeful and playful representation of the world’s magical sides. Both her work and art classes invite viewers to reflect on the invisible and intuitive aspects of their lived spaces and experiences.

Borrelli has a B.A. in Art Education from Kent State University, and an M.A. from the University of Texas Austin. She has created art for clients such as Visa, Boston Beer, Dell Children’s Medical Center, University Hospital Rainbow Babies & Children Cleveland, Dell Medical School and The University of Texas. Her derivative retail/wholesale products are sold across Texas, where she is most known for her line of adult coloring books. She has worked with organizations such as the Austin Downtown Alliance, Dell Children’s Medical Center, and Mindful Classrooms to develop coloring books as education tools.

She teaches corporate art courses for Facebook teams nationally, in-person courses at Austin Contemporary Art School, as well as virtual on-demand art courses for her online artist community: The HeART School. Between 2018 and 2020, Becca co-founded Austin female based maker collective Lemon House: a local venue that hosted maker events, classes, art shows and community groups.

When Becca isn’t making art, she’s exploring Austin with her husband, son, and two super-pups Layla and Rose.

“I learned of Miller IDS a decade ago as the preeminent Austin printer for beautiful reproductions and large-scale scanning. In the early days as an independent artist, they scanned and printed ink doodles I made for fun. I would sell them on a patchworked blog to friends with cut and paste PayPal buttons. I was a scrappy young artist and I loved their gorgeous, reliable work. Even more, I loved chatting with Larry each time I visited. I was a small account, and yet everyone knew me by my first name and treated me like a friend.
 
Fast-forward to today, they are still supporting my work via a burgeoning wholesale business. I love working with Dana Burton in the Fine Art department. She always gives lightning-fast responses, helps work through problems, and each print job is beautiful. In 2020 I partnered with Dell Children’s Medical Center on a digital mural. When my initial production partner fell through, I reached out to Miller. Their graceful assistance mid-project on one of the largest artworks of my career was when I knew I was in love. This business has been around for a long time and it shows. I trust them implicitly and would emphatically urge anyone to work with them on all projects large or small. This is by far my favorite print shop in Austin!”

Contact Becca:
Website: beccajborrelli.com

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

February Artist of the Month: Juliet Whitsett

Posted on | by Madi
Juliet Whitsett (she/her) is an Austin, TX based Artist and Arts & Environmental Educator with a Master’s Degree in Community-Based Arts Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Her artistic practice focuses on endangered and threatened species works and community arts installations such as the co-creation and curation of @reallysmallmuseum_atx, nature-immersed Biodiversity of Texas Art Walks (2021, 2022), and an audio-based Audio Wild series. Her current fine art series, Biodiversity of Texas addresses Threatened, Endangered and Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in Texas. For this work she samples colors from actual images of Texas’ rarest and most vulnerable species to create original digitally-based art inspired by their unique palettes, lives and forms. She has recently completed an Artist Residency and solo show at Wild Basin Creative Research Center (2022), as well as a solo show at Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center (2022).
 
Juliet has designed public programs and family events for institutions such as the High Line, University of Texas’ Planet Texas 2050, Botanical Research Institute of Texas | Fort Worth Botanic Garden, The Bullock Texas State History Museum, the Thinkery and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. She has served as an arts and education consultant to individuals and organizations both domestically and internationally.
 
“I actually look forward to the days I pick up my work at Miller IDS. From the moment you walk in the door, you know it is a special place of business. The customer service at Miller is really special (Larry brightens any day!), it’s obvious that strong relationships, kindness, integrity and quality are paramount here. As a fine artist, it is more than a pleasure to work with Dana as she is so talented and absolutely dedicated to the most professional and stunning results. It feels good to know my art and work is in the most capable hands.”
 
Contact Juliet:
Juliet’s Instagram: @juliet_whitsett_art
Really Small Museum Instagram: @reallysmallmuseum_atx
Website: giddyupartstudio.com

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

January Artist of the Month: Brad & Mary Barminski Johnson

Posted on | by Madi

Barminski Johnson is a husband & wife collaborative team that has been working together on creative projects for the past 22 years.

Combining husband Brad Johnson’s background in Architecture and Interior Design with wife, Mary Barminski’s background in Fine Art and Graphic Design (with Dwain Kelley/Kelleygraphics since 1983) to find inventive design solutions that speak to the processes of collaboration and integration to elevate the creative results.

 

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

Graphics Feature: Urbanspace Sales Center

Posted on | by Madi

Since 2000, Urbanspace has served as Austin’s first and only full-service urban core living solutions company, providing real estate development, sales, and marketing expertise — amplified by our in-house interior design studio + modern furniture showroom — with an intense passion for living the urban lifestyle. We are an organization committed to Austin’s growth and development, with an emphasis on architectural design, sustainable development, urban communities and modern design products from around the globe.

Urbanspace put their stamp on the Austin skyline with The Modern Austin Residences, a 56 story condo tower entirely developed, marketed, and sold by Urbanspace. To create an immersive sales center experience for their buyers, they worked with us to take advantage of the vertical space on the walls and windows, with displays that included a panoramic aerial view from the tower, a map of the vibrant neighborhood surrounding The Modern, and a timeline of Urbanspace’s major milestones.

“The sales center turned out even better than we hoped, and a lot of the credit goes to the Miller IDS team. We were impressed by their professionalism and the quality of the work. They made the process of moving from conceptual designs to reality a breeze. We had a great experience working with Miller!” – Robbie Polk

For more information on Urbanspace: 
Main website: www.urbanspacelifestyle.com 
The Modern website:  www.modernaustinresidences.com 
Instagram (Real Estate): @urbanspacerealtors
Instagram (Interiors): @urbanspaceinteriors
Instagram (Design Studio): @urbanspacedesignstudio

To get started on your own graphics project, contact Sydney at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.

December Artist of the Month: Mary Doerr

Posted on | by Madi

Austin artist Mary Doerr entered the world as Mary Hugh Colley on January 15, 1934, in Memphis, Texas. After her sister, Jane, entered the world, it became apparent to parents Hugh and Eva Colley that their Depression-era school teacher wages could not support the family, so the family moved to Austin in search of opportunity.

Mary’s father got a job with the state. Mary’s mother put her art degree to work as curator of UT’s Rare Book Collection, where she rebound and repaired old books and manuscripts.

The Colleys lived on East Avenue (now I-35), just south of 19th Street (now Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.). It was at John B. Winn Elementary (later the site of UT’s baseball stadium, Disch-Falk Field) that she was introduced to a major influence on her life: Girl Scouts. She loved scouting because it was the one place she could do things considered “too strenuous” for girls at the time.

At University Junior High, she discovered that physical education was her favorite subject. At Stephen F. Austin High School her love of sports led her to join the tennis team, and her love of Girl Scouts took her from camper to counselor at Camp Texlake on Lake Travis.

Throughout those years, her love for creating art grew to wanting to major in art in college. But with practical advice from her mother, Mary entered the University of Texas in 1952, studying to become a physical education teacher. That led to teaching middle school PE in Alvin, Texas, which led to marrying Danny Doerr, which led to the birth of a daughter, Robin, in 1962.

In 1966 Austin called again and the Doerr family answered. Now Mary’s love of Girl Scouts led to a career with the organization, including teaching adult leaders the outdoor skills they needed for teaching the girls.

With similar interests and children of the same age, Mary and Ginny Findeisen became friends and Girl Scout colleagues – a friendship that was to have a profound influence on Mary’s life. Mary credits Ginny with encouraging her to take the first step toward realizing her lifelong dream of becoming a professional artist. By then in her late 40s, Mary took that leap of faith and earned a masters in art at UT.

At her first art show, she received a commission for 10 watercolors. At her second show, at the Old Pecan Street Arts Festival, she realized the success of her Austin scenes meant her dream really could become a reality. Then with proceeds from publishing prints of her paintings, she started her own business – Mary Doerr Studio – in 1985, with Ginny as her business partner. Ten years later she was able to open her own gallery, Images of Austin and the Southwest, on Burnet Road.

Through the following decades, Mary became one of Austin’s most prolific and popular artists, earning her the title of “The Lady Who Paints Austin.”

In 2005, however, failing eyesight meant she could no longer paint. Daughter Robin – who got her own art degree, from UT-El Paso – took over the gallery and frame shop in 2006, letting Mary and Ginny retire to a ranch and enjoy life outdoors in Lampasas County.

Now back in Austin again, publishing “Watercolor Memories of Austin: The Art of Mary Doerr” lets her add “author” to her list of accomplishments – and share her love of her colorful hometown with even more people through her colorful art.

Contact Robin, Mary’s daughter:

Instagram: @Robin.Doerr

Website: marydoerr.com

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

November Artist of the Month: Travis Ballantyne

Posted on | by Madi

“I was sitting in my 5th grade art class. Our teacher challenged us to submit a design for the cover of the school’s yearbook–and I won! That was the moment I knew I was an artist.”

Growing up in a military family, Travis has been able to travel the world and experience the beauty of many different cultures.

He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the School of Art and Design at Texas State University – San Marcos. Upon completing his degree, Travis found his passion for teaching and earned an all-level certification in art education and is currently teaching middle school art in Leander ISD.

“I like to describe my art as abstract with an emphasis on color relationships—balancing cool and warm, light and dark. Most of my work is experimental with no true desired outcome.”

“Miller IDS has been so helpful getting my professional art career off and running. The staff is very informative and knowledgeable in their craft. The quality of their products and services are top notch.” 

Contact Travis:
Website: travisballantyne.com
Instagram: @travisballantyne

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

Graphics Feature: Aquila Commercial Alto Jobsite Signage

Posted on | by Madi

We are getting a new neighbor at our downtown location! Aquila Commercial is building a 110,000-sf office development called Alto at 924 East 7th Street, which will plenty of office space as well as luxurious amenities and scenic views of East Austin, Downtown, and the State Capitol.

Our graphics account manager, Josh Meza, worked with Alta to produce construction banners for their jobsite. Our mesh banners are perfect for construction sites because they are durable and the mesh allows wind to flow through without damaging the banner or jobsite itself, as traditional vinyl banners can act like sails and rip fencing down when caught in strong winds. The mesh banners also reduce the loud flapping noise that the wind can cause in other vinyl banners. We sometimes see signage at jobsites that have slits cut into them to prevent wind damage, but with mesh banners there is no need to do this!

If you would like more information on the Alta office space, visit Aquila Commercial’s website and follow them on Instagram at @aquilaaustin.

If you would like to order any jobsite signage or get started on any other graphics order, contact Sydney at CSSR@MillerIDS.com.

October Artist of the Month: Tom Robb

Posted on | by Madi

What makes Tom Robb`s drawings of our favorite musicians and rockstars a bit different? Tom Robb has been a bodyguard for some of the most popular musicians and rock stars for over 35 years. Touring with Bands like Metallica, Robert Plant, Green Day, Linkin Park, Creed, System of a Down, Twenty One Pilots, Kanye West, and many more gives him a special insight and different view of these popular singers.

Traveling to over 85 countries with music tours has left little time to draw his favorite subjects, but during his rare time off he is always challenging himself to catch the raw emotion and pure intensity he sees and feels nightly by these unique artists.

Creativity runs in Tom Robb’s family. His older brother, Dave Robb, (a great artist in his own right) has had great success as the Head Designer of BMW motorcycles in Munich, Germany for over 30 years. His youngest brother, Doug Robb, is the lead singer for the band Hoobastank and is quite creative and artistic himself and has been a subject of Tom`s drawings in the past.

Tom Robb’s art is owned by many celebrities including James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin and Sensational Space Shifters, David Grohl of Foo Fighters, Tre Cool and Mike Dirnt of Green Day, Doug Robb of Hoobastank, Bo Jackson of the NFL and MLB, and Shaquille O`Neal of the NBA.

“I do want to say my experience with Miller Imaging is one of the reasons I started getting serious about my art again. The process was so seamless and easy. Every question and concern I had was addressed quickly and professionally. I was learning on the go and Madison`s patience and understanding (on designing his one-sheet) made the whole learning process become a passion project. I have not had that experience in the past and I wouldn’t go anywhere else at this point.”

Contact Tom: 
Email: trobb44@mac.com
Phone: 310-344-2995
#Hellboysecurity

Read the rest of Tom’s feature and see more of his art on our website.

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

September Artist of the Month: Jason Wallerstein

Posted on | by Madi
Jason Wallerstein was born in South Florida in 1977. As a child, he played in the swamps along with snakes, frogs, turtles, and spiders, and he appreciates the flora and fauna that make up the South. Jason began his fine arts studies at the prestigious, Dreyfoos High School of the Arts in Palm Beach, Florida. He furthered his art education with a Bachelor’s in Fine Arts from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA). 
 
Jason Wallerstein’s art is quite colorful and is heavily influenced by animals and nature. Themes include flowers, plants, and life experiences. Jason has a love for printmaking and is constantly painting; focusing on his surrounding locale and adventurous encounters. 

Jason Wallerstein and his family moved to Austin in March, 2020. He quickly fell in love with the Texas Hill Country and its’ critters and all of the amazing things (mythical and real) that Central Texas has to offer. From watching the Austin bats flee downtown bridges in search of food at dusk, armadillos in psychedelic party attire, to wild turkeys gobbling aggressively, Jason Wallerstein’s artwork is meant to share his love for all things Texas and the outdoors.”Miller Blueprint’s Dana Burton is so precise and a true perfectionist when it comes to all things color related. Dana is meticulous at color matching prints to the original artwork and really values accuracy, with an unwillingness to settle for anything less than perfect, which as an artist, is truly important and an asset to have on your side.Sydney Donelson is a super supportive cheerleader for any artist that works with Miller Blueprint! We really love working with Sydney because she is always happy, easy going, friendly, and has an amazing can-do attitude about printing artwork. I know I can shoot off an idea to Sydney and she can give me a run down of what has been done in the past or, how to execute my ideas to grow our business. I recently had an emergency and needed a large print done and called Sydney in a panic. She was able to quickly assess our needs and even set up delivery, right to our studio!

Working with Miller Blueprint has overall been a true pleasure. The professionalism exuded by Dana and Sydney has allowed us to feel comfortable working with Miller Blueprint. And, we will continue to do so in the future.” – Donna Wallerstein, Sales & Marketing Specialist BrunkyArt

Contact Jason: 
Instagram: @brunkyart
Facebook: BrunkyArt
Twitter: @BrunkyArt
Pinterest: @BrunkyArt
Website: brunky.com
 
Contact our fine art specialist, Dana Burton, for more information on fine art scans and reproduction.

August 2022 Featured Graphics: SMPS Axe Throwing Tournament Signage

Posted on | by Madi

SMPS Austin asked us to print event signage for their Second Annual Axe Throwing Tournament. Some of the signage we did were vinyl banners, retractable banners, a step and repeat photo backdrop, floor graphics, decals, and table tents.

Signage is a great way to brand an event whether it be a corporate event or personal. Through the signage, SMPS was able to display sponsors across the entire venue. They also had us print removeable vinyl decals to go on the fridge, which featured the beer and wine sponsors for the event.

All the signage we printed and installed was temporary, meaning the clean up was easy and there was no damage done to the event space. Floor vinyl and decals are some of our most popular event signage because they pack a punch while still being easy to remove.

Our team of four employees also had a blast participating this year! Thank you SMPS for putting on such a fun networking event!


If you would like more information on event signage or anything else graphics related, please reach out to Sydney, at CSSR@MillerIDS.com