Happy New Year, Hive! This is my first blog post of 2023. I’ve been overwhelmed with the holiday commitments but now that I’m on the other side of that, I’m grateful for all of it. I was blessed with the company of @vermillionfox, @guthrie, @lovejoy and @roadscape. My circle is small, but these, along with some other @caffetto regulars like @tarotbyfergus and @mada, make up the foundation of my life here in Minneapolis. Last Christmas, @guthrie was spoiled with the fruits of a bull run and the success of Dark Pinup on WAX. Although a bear market Christmas is more humble, the gifts were thoughtful. He loved it.
I have new photography to share here tonight. Edits from my last trip to LA in 2022. I shot with Puerto Rican fashion pinup, Kitti Von Paige. She flew to Southern California from Sacramento for this shoot. Another collaboration that was meant to happen in early 2020 and was delayed by years because of COVID. This was something of a reclamation of that lost time for us. She met me at the Clark Gable estate, where I was staying. I’ve shot here for years so I know all the best areas and layouts of the mansion. After our introductions, I gave her the tour and we began.
Kitti is a phenomenal talent when creating outfits. She reminded me so much of my friend @vintagevandalizm, which lead me to believe that Puerto Ricans are just uniquely gifted with style. As it turned out, she is actually friends with Jasmin, which even further affected the success of this shoot. As we moved from room to room, Kitti changed wardrobe as a continued to hunt for the dramatic light hidden throughout windows, hallways and curtains in every room of the house. Overall, a wide range of looks and moods for just under two hours shooting together.
It feels great to be back here on Hive, having a chance to share new artwork on the blockchain. Honestly, the holiday stress had a way of crushing me, like it always does. I loved all of the time, but I’m looking forward to a slower pace for the beginning of 2023. I want to continue to make my evening posts here as they’ve become extremely therapeutic for me over the years. In the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing new dark pinup work along with illustrations that I’ve been finishing up for the @mirrorpool release of @neverwel in the next month or two. Thanks for reading and have a great night!