When we first moved to St. Louis, we were invited to a neighbor’s house for dinner. I spent the whole meal staring over the host’s shoulder at the artwork behind her: a dark brown background with millions of fine, pink branch-like lines extending from the bottom, it was at once simple and complex. I loved it and found out later it was by St. Louis artist, Andrew Millner. Since then, I’ve seen his things here and there and loved every piece. So when I read that there was a collection of his work at the William Shearburn Gallery until Nov. 7th, I made it a point to stop by.

It did not disappoint. There were about a dozen pieces in the show – some done in his typical style, but also some new pieces he’s done using acrylics. I learned that those fine, branch-like lines typical in his work are actually created by using a stylus on a digital tablet then printing the image on a huge printer. Many of his light jet printer images are then mounted into plexi- giving the art an even cooler effect. Most of the show at the Shearburn was his newer stuff- inspired by Millner’s 2012 trip to the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. This time the fine lines of the stylus are hidden underneath a layer of acrylic paint, applied like icing on a cake. Thick, glossy and gooey- it’s all you can do not to touch the stuff. Below are some pics of my visit. And here’s his website if you want to know more.