Hi-Fructose favorite Brandi Milne, whose paintings we’ve featured on the blog over the years, has taken her style in more demure direction for her next solo show, “Before I Hide Away,” opening at Corey Helford Gallery on August 11. Admittedly autobiographical, the new series of 14 paintings deals with love, loss and the need to let go. Milne’s elf-like heroines appear sullen in their sandy, aquatic worlds. Despite their cartoonish innocence, they portray complex experiences with subtle visual cues, though the appearance of fantastical creatures keeps the paintings light and fun despite their sentimental subject matter. Take a look at a preview of the new work courtesy of Corey Helford Gallery.