Fan Page? Fan Page!

Blackbirds Baked in a Pie, 2007

Catherine Greninger as a Water Flagbearer, 2007

My friends, I have made a Facebook fan page. I have decided if Facebook is the next free advertising train, then I best be on it.  There, I can send updates about shows and new collections of costumes or paintings. I have posted a few galleries of photos, and more are on the way, ranging from my newer works to my older ones.

Hopefully soon, I can finish some new work, and make a new folder full of splendiforous new things that are better than the last ones! Above are some oldies but goodies from my time at Pratt Institute.

Group Exhibit Tuesday!

Some street graffiti I saw in Milan that has nothing to do with the rest of my entry.

I am participating in another group exhibit on Tuesday night at the Envoy Gallery. The theme is "Interior Beauty Parlor", and I should have a few NEW paintings exhibited, and hopefully I will show up in a costume that keeps with the same theme as the paintings. It is located at 131 Chrystie Street, in NYC.

I am also working on a few prop pieces for a friend of mine Jeremiah Reeve, who is creating a performance piece happening sometime in August. More info on that later, but it should be a rather exciting performance.

In other news, I am trying to figure out where it would be best to spend my free moments, creating a sea monster ballet, conceptualizing my film about the politics of Wonderland, or creating a fashion line devoted to wind up toys....

Necklaces for Sale!

I have made a few necklaces as preliminary designs for my small "Seabirds and Sandstone" collection, the first installment in my small ready to wear line.  Two of these are for sale, one I will save to release with the rest of the collection. Find them on my Etsy page!

Plans in the making...

I have decided today, that due to my love for expanding on a theme, I am going to create a mini collection of five looks, incorporating couture techniques and other handwork. There will of course be spine tingling painted corsetry and mysterious knitted objects. After these five looks are completed, they will be for sale on my Etsy page. 

I start creating them full force tomorrow. Await pictures.

Canadian Adventures!

I have returned from Canada bearing pictures, and too many stories to count! I went up first, to Toronto for FAT, Toronto's Alternative Arts and Fashion Week. I showed 12 or 13 pieces with the Imago Magazine Collection. Many other designers contributed, and had some really cool stuff. There was also a very talented body painter there. To see video of that collection, click HERE.

Then, after FAT, I went back up to Canada a week later to a city about an hour north of Toronto named Barrie. This time, it was for a show promoting the models of International Model Management. I met a really great photographer there named David Hou, and he took the below photos of my costumes. He has a great website that you should check out! I only know some of the model's names, but If I find out more, I will post them.

Modeled by Grace Cairns

I believe this model's name was Marta, though I could be wrong.

Modeled by Michael, and a lovely model who was a great sport about wearing my knitted dress which can be uncomfortably warm.

Modeled by Dani Thompson

When I went up this time, I got to stay at Sandra Robert's house, who is the editor of Imagozine.  She had an amazing house right by Lake Ontario, and it was filled with art, and inspired me greatly. I will definitely be working with her again, as she is a great stylist, and an awesome person. We might just be planning something for August. I shall keep you posted!

Back from the Great North!

I am back from my Canadian adventure, and it was AMAZING. I have discovered that I heart Toronto, even after spending one day there. I am actually going back up to Barrie, a city just north of Toronto again this weekend, for a photo shoot based around 18th century themes, and I am just as excited as I was before!

Pictures soon, right now, I have to finish the movie poster for Love For Sale, the film I was working on for the Cannes film festival.

Disappearing Bodies

The one night gallery show at Envoy Gallery has come and gone, and it was great fun to be there and see everyone's work and I hope to take part in more events like it in the future. It gave me a warm fuzzy feeling of belonging to a generation of young artists who make work because they are passionate about it, not necessarily because they are getting paid for it.

A news article about the event from the New York Press can be found HERE.

My Etsy Shop Open!

These loverly two paintings of mine are now for sale on Etsy!  They are my first two items, keeping my shop open till I can add some of my more ambitious art pieces and costumes.

See my Etsy shop HERE.

Currently, I am trying to pack the costume in the below post (the one on Andy) into a suitcase so as to bring it to Envoy Gallery tomorrow night.  It is an interesting process and I am using shoelaces to keep the zippers closed.  

Despite the interesting packing, it is part of a show themed around Disappearing Bodies. Envoy Gallery is located at 131 Chrystie Street, between Broome and Delancey. 

Aside from that, I am going to be starting to paint the movie poster for Love For Sale, the short film I worked on for the Cannes Film Festival. It will be showing in the short film corner.

I am also preparing to venture up to Toronto for Alternative Fashion Week, which is so exciting I am doing mental wiggly dances almost constantly. Though I am incredibly excited for the fashion show, and seeing everyone else's work,  I am also excited about being able to explore Toronto a little bit the day after the show. If anyone knows of  interesting things I should check out while I am there, let me know!

Agenda for April

Modeled by Andy Jordan

Modeled by Mary Benyo

Modeled by Genevieve Cerri

Well, I thought that after my shows were over, I'd be able to rest a bit, but alas, no.  But the good news about that fact is that I am going to be working on many great projects.

First, a short film for the Cannes film festival, with Director Itsi Atkins, and filmographer Stephen Stuart.  My title on the project is Production designer, and I also get to direct one of the scenes, which should be a challenge, since I haven't directed any film work for about 4 years. I also get to paint the movie poster, which I will relish. Alas, More on that later...

In other news, I am planning on venturing up to Toronto for Alternative Fashion Week, which I am able to do through Imago Magazine, A publication with some very lovely fashion shoots.  This was an amazing stroke of luck, and I figured I would have to wait for next year, as the organization had stopped accepting applications for this year. However, Shien Lee, who runs Dances of Vice, introduced me to the editor of Imago Magazine, and now I'm saving for gas money, and packing up my Little red riding hood costumes!

Oh yes, and though I don't know many details yet, the painted dress shown above will be in a one night exhibit, along with many other artist's creations. 

And The day I'm leaving for Canada, I am modeling for my friend and co-conspirator Claire Aquila in her Fashion thesis at Pratt. She is doing an amazing collection based loosely on the characters from Neil Gaiman's epic The Sandman.  I play the character of Death, fittingly.  Pictures to follow, when I have them. 

So decent amounts of sleep, it seems, may have to wait till after April!

Show At Dances of Vice This Weekend!

My show is at 11:45pm and with any luck will be even better than my last one. 4 new costumes were made, and my actual finale dress in currently in progress, and will hopefully be done by then. So far, it is coming along exactly how I imagined it.

In other news, I think my brain wants to be done with this project, and I am becoming more easily bewildered when new information is thrown at me.  Making something into a better show sometimes means juggling more parts, which is difficult when my brain just wants to be finished so it can think about octopus puppets, crowns that look like castles, and being outside as the weather is getting warmer.

After this is all done, I am going to try to take some time to paint. And make random costumes or puppets not having to do with a theme, and see where it takes me.  Hopefully I will get some sleep as well! 

Some News And Some Photos

A shot of my headdress

Mia Johnson 

Grant Newton

More photos HERE.

Another show on March 21st at Dances of Vice, the same Little Red Riding Hood collection, but with 3-4 new looks, as well as a more dramatic way of presenting it.

In other news, since the last couple months I have immersed myself in costume making, I am itching to get back to painting and sculpting. I have a bunch of ideas, that may have to wait till after the 21st, even though I'd love to have a break from this theme.  Hopefully I can create them before the ideas go stale.

Also, trying to slowly get back into dance and arialism by stretching and conditioning every day. I want to be able to base my future costume endeavors on choreography, and thus want to be physically involved in it. But thats for later, after a long break for painting and sculpting!

The First Pictures from Wicked Faire

These are from my parent's camera! Thus, they are not as clear as the could be. More soon!

Edward Swanson, rocking a wolf costume with a more tribal flavor

Grant Newton, a very victorian lycanthrope

Yours truly and Mia Johnson, my most fetching wolf lady, at the end when the designers were announced.

The day after...

The show at Wicked Faire went wonderfully, I shall hopefully have photo evidence and video footage soon.  There were a few tiny things that I wasn't satisfied with in my costumes, however they were only very minor details, like buttons, and extra drapery, and such things will be fussed with before version 2 of the show, taking place on March 21, at one of my favorite venues, Dances of Vice.

It really was one of the better group shows I have participated in. Usually when a group of designers has a show of this nature, there are usually a few who don't impress me (as I am rather difficult to impress sometimes). However, every single design and model in this show was something stunning and memorable.

Soon, my good friend Stephen is going to post some video he shot of the runway and some backstage antics, and thus the show can be seen by all!

Also, A huge thank you to everyone who modeled for me (and Stephen), as you made my work look prettier, and didn't complain through wearing uncomfortable shoes and corset/dress/paintings!

Fall 2009!

An Update, of Sorts

Not the best photo, but so far the only one I have of one of my new costumes for my upcoming shows.

I have been very busy and thus have not had a chance to post for a while.

I worked at the set of The Tempest, a  Shakespeare play, being set to film by Julie Taymor.  It was an amazing experience, being able to work with someone I admire so much, and with my favorite character in my favorite Shakespeare play. My co-worker Amy started constructing the costume, and I told her if she needed any help on it, to let me know, since It was a project I would hold very high, and so when the basic construction was done, I helped her to complete it. I have a ton of pictures, but none of that can be posted until the film is released.  Ariel's costume was the only one we made, but all the other costumes in the wardrobe room were absolutely beautiful.

I had 2 magazine appearances this month, one in the Italian Marie Claire, in which I modeled a costume at Brooklyn Indie Market, though my name is nowhere to be seen... And a bunch of costumes and costume parts that Andy and I made are in this month's Bust magazine, though they got the credits wrong and forgot to mention Andy.

In upcoming news, I have two fashion shows coming up, premiering my new collection, based on Little Red Riding Hood. The first show is to take place at Wicked Faire in Whippany, NJ on February 20th. This incarnation will be more victorian and steampunk.  Then, on March 21, I will be doing a show at none other than my beloved Dances of Vice, and that version of the show will be more fantastical feeling, as the theme of the event is pagan rites of spring.

I will post more about these events, and perhaps images from my magazine appearances at a later date, but now, I have to get ready to go to work!

Tempest

More pictures from Milan:

I love when blues look slightly out of context with the place they are in.

Currently, I am sick with bronchitis, and having not made the fruitless trek to NY to only spend a couple hours there for the day, I intended on getting some work done today. The good Lord, as it seems, will have none of that, and I now find myself wondering "why did I take that sudafed? Why?"

In other, more important news, I got to meet none other than Julie Taymor, a director I have revered for a long time. At Izquierdo's, we are making a set of Harpy wings for her upcoming film The Tempest, my Boss, a coworker, and I had to go to Steiner Studio to do a fitting. We were worried that she would have a lot to comment on, that we needed to go in a different direction, or that she just plain wouldn't like them, and yet, when she came up to see the actor in them, she responded very well, and we all sighed in relief.

I will most likely have to be an additional assistant when they shoot the scene that this character is in, which excites me greatly, as I have never been on a film shoot of this caliber.

I took many photos at the fitting, and even some video footage, though, It will have to wait until the film airs before I am able to post them.

And now, Tor try and fight the side affects of Sudafed, and attempt to stay awake long enough to be productive!

Uncertain Musings

Sometimes I am stuck between a number of projects I want to do. Right now, my dilemma seems to be whether I spend my time sewing or painting. Painting is my favorite form of art, but I need more time to conceptualize and motivate myself to do it, as though it takes more pre-planning to develop a sophisticated idea. Perhaps that is why it is my preferred way of spending time: it challenges me. My costumes, on the other hand, are more near to the surface of my mind. They are like sketches made with fabric, and it is an immediate object. I view the costumes as sculptures; shapes with form, and they seem to have a more concrete effect on anyone who views them.  I have been trying to mix my two favorite activities, and I had some ideas about making canvas dresses to paint on, though the ideas are not fleshed out enough for me to take action on.

Well, perhaps by my next post I will have lit a fire under my tail, and will have either a painting or a costume started, or both.

No new photos to show, so I thought I'd pull some from when I went to Italy for the CoMon Competition. These are from a day trip we took to Milan.

Ahoy! I have not put up a post in a while, as I have been thoroughly enjoying resting for my holiday vacation.  

         Things have been slowly picking up at my place of work, and I have recently been working on Harpy wings for the Tempest, a Shakespeare play soon to be made into a film directed by Julie Taymor. The wing-making involves lots of poisonous chemicals, and lighting things on fire in order to melt holes in various materials, which makes Kristin a happy girl.

In other news, I was very inspired today to start work on my line of clothing/costumes, perhaps due to one full night's sleep and 2 full cups of coffee...  Fortunate as it was to feel motivated, I fell into my personal trap of being over ambitious, and thus designed a whole new collection based on a nautical theme, even though I have barely started my current one. My current collection is based on Little Red Riding Hood, and has elements of Lycanthropy involved. perhaps soon I shall post a sneak peek of what I have been working on.

That having been said, here is a picture of a chihuahua in pajamas:

This little thing is named Penelope, or Peepee, for obvious reasons. She belongs to my friend and co-worker Sam Hill (yes, that's his real name).  This is one of the 4 dogs that runs around the studio all day, bringing sunshine, camaraderie, and presents of multiple types to our daily lives.

These are one of 4 pairs of wings we made for the Video Game Awards on MTV. We are making similar wings for an upcoming episode of Ugly Betty, which is themed around "looks that are too dangerous to wear".

And lastly, an Antlerboy!

Happy New Year!