Happy Food Solo at Gallery 1988

Happy Food is coming!

I am humbled and honored to once again be showing my work with Gallery 1988. When asked to do another solo with them, I had a couple ideas for themes, but kept coming back to happy food.

Mr. Good Morning Waffle along with 29 of his tasty friends will be on display from May 15th through June 6th at their East location. As with all their shows, there will not be an advance preview so if you can't make it to the opening, all remaining art (including limited edition prints) will go on sale the next day in their online shop. But since Ed and I will be flying out for the opening, we hope that we can see lots of you there!

What? You'd like another sneak peek? Here's "Salud":

I'll be showing a few more complete paintings over the next week, so stay tuned. ARe you still itching to buy some artwork now? Gallery 1988 is having a spring sale until May 17th on most inventory. Use the code 2015 for 15% off! I've got a handful of items that are eligible for the sale which you can peruse here.

Going Down Under

I can't believe it, but Ed and I are going to Australia! The great folks at Auguste Clown Gallery have invited me to do a larger solo with them October 2nd and we decided to go for the opening! It's quite the trip and believe me, not an easy decision due to the cost of getting there (not only money-wise, but physically and emotionally as well - 24 hrs in an airplane is a LONG TIME), but the pluses far outweighed the minuses. We will be in the Melbourne area for a week and hope to get a good overview of the city as well as a day trip or two outside (Great Ocean Road, anyone?). If anyone has any tips or hints or must-see places or might even want to meet up for a coffee let me know!

I'm not set on a theme just yet, but have started sketching and having fun coming up with some new characters. So stay tuned and I hope to see some of you in October!

Never Nudes and Puppy Dogs

Hey everybody!

I wanted to share my latest painting which is for Idiot Box 2 at Gallery 1988. The theme is everyone's favorite television show and I just couldn't help myself, I had to do an homage to Arrested Development. Now why I chose to do Tobias in his never-nude shorts, licking a frozen banana with nuts as a fuzzy blue monster, I can't readily say, other than it made me laugh.

I hope he brings a smile to your sweet faces as well!

"Mr. Gay" acrylic on maple, 8.5" x 8.5"

If you're interested in purchasing him, he's available over at Gallery 1988.

Now for the puppy dogs! I recently had the pleasure of showing my work at Baker+Hesseldenz Gallery in Tuscon, AZ for their spring group show. I painted two new "I'm Not Hungry" pieces (both originals sold), "Maple" and "Winslow".

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           I was thrilled that "Maple" was even shown in an article about the show in American Art Collector Magazine alongside some amazing artists like Van Arno, Fabio D'Aroma and Fay Helfer.

If you're interested in these two little pups, I have prints as well as mounted prints in my shop and just because you guys are so special to me (seriously), use the code SPECIAL and get 10% off everything you buy until May 10th. Visit shop.cuddlyrigormortis.com and have fun!

Limited Edition Large "Kokoro" Mount

After years of people asking me to make more "Kokoro" mounted prints, I finally decided to just go ahead and make a small edition of them. The first mounts were 5x7, an edition of 100 and sold out. But now they are 7x9 and an edition of only 10. I say, grab one for your honey while you can :D Available in my shop here.

While you're there you might also see a print of a painting I did back in 2012 for Bats Day. There are only 2 prints available, 8 x 10, signed and titled and only $20! Have fun shopping everyone and thanks for looking :D

Happy New Year Sale and APs

As a thank you for all the wonderful support I received this year, I decided to put a whole bunch of APs and some rare mounted prints into my shop along with a discount code for 20% off - everything! That's all the new items, originals, and anything else you may put into your shopping cart. Just use the code CRM2015 and it will automatically take 20% off your whole order. The code will be good through January 4th so have fun shopping and pick up a little something for your walls. You deserve it.

A Happy, Healthy New Year to you and yours - Thanks everyone.

Available Originals Holiday Guide

A few shows have opened since I've been away and I wanted to provide everyone with a handy list of what's available for purchase (including some discount codes and purchase plans when available).

Here goes:

1. First we have four fun holiday paintings that I did awhile ago for another project and would love to have them make someone happy in their home. They each measure 8" x 11" and will be available for purchase in my own shop tomorrow, Monday, Dec 15th at 3pm EST for $325 a piece.

2. Get the Lead Out VI presented by Swoon Gallery. I had 4 pieces in this fantastic show and only 1 painting is left. "Annie" is acrylic on maple and measures 8.5" x 8.5" and is available for $475. Please visit Swoon Gallery's website for purchase details.

3. Flower Pepper Gallery's 3rd Anniversary Show. This was such a fun piece to paint I hope that these 3 silly characters can brighten someone's day. "Sunny, Goggin & Crump" is acrylic on maple and measures 9.75" x 11.75 x .75". It is available for purchase for $550 at Flower Pepper Gallery's website.

4. Crazy 4 Cult Back in LA presented by Gallery 1988. After my last Kubrick inspired piece I just couldn't help but do a painting inspired by one of my all time favorite movies, A Clockwork Orange. "Fuzzy Navel" is acrylic on maple and measures 8.5" x 8.5" x .75 and is available for purchase for $450 from G1988's website.

5. I also wanted to mention that Gallery 1988 is having their yearly sale. Use the code SALE88 through Dec 31st for 30% off past releases (does not include the above painting)! These are the 2 originals that do fall into that category along with some prints. Visit their website for what's available.

6. And finally, there are still a few originals from my Happy as Kings solo at Gallery Nucleus. They have some great deals (free shipping) and if you ask nicely they will do a payment plan for you! Visit their website for available pieces and prints.

I wish you all the best this holiday season and thank you for your continued support and well wishes. I'll be back to painting soon :)

xo

Kristin

My Mom

This photo was taken of my Mom and Dad at Christmas in 1961. I'm posting it because they look wonderful and it's a little bit easier to look at old photos of my Mom right now.My Mom passed away peacefully one week ago on December 6th surrounded by her family. It's so surreal I can't quite put it into words. Everything will forever be different without her around. She took care of everyone - people and animals alike - that crossed her path. I'm not sure what I will do without her.

The good thing is that I have such a wonderful family that really took care of me and Ed and my Dad. My sister-in-law, aunts, uncles and cousins visited and brought so much delicious home cooked food. My Dad, brother and nieces were so strong. Friends reconnected and gave me comfort. What else can I say but thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I also want to thank everyone for their kind words and well wishes for me and my family. It means so much to know that even though we may have never met in person or don't know each other personally, you took some time to write a little something or just even to have read this post. 

Rest in peace Mom and thank you for everything.

41 Days

I've been quiet but wanted to write a little something about what I've been going through.

My mom has been in the hospital for 41 days and will not return home.

She's dying and it's the hardest thing I've ever experienced. I've temporarily relocated to my parents home, along with Ed and my pup to not only be closer to my mom but help my Dad out in this difficult time.

I go to the hospital early in every morning to sit by her bedside and stay until late at night. She is unresponsive at this point, in no pain and comfortable. It's all we can ask for at this point. I stroke her hand and talk softly to her. The last time she recognized me was the day I came back from my trip to California. She opened her eyes and smiled.

I don't know what else to say at this point other than be kind to those you love and make sure they know you love them. You never know what will happen day to day as my family has experienced.

Thank you for reading and for being so kind to me. I hope that my artwork will continue to bring smiles to your faces very soon.

-Kris

WonderGround Gallery Signing Event!

I am so happy to be heading back to WonderGround Gallery this Saturday to sign prints for three brand new pieces! I was asked to created paintings based on Chip and Dale (wonderful), angry Donald Duck (brilliant) and of course, what's becoming my go-to character of choice, Stitch (yayyyy!).

The most difficult part of creating these is coming up with a fresh, yet familiar situation for these iconic characters. As usual, this began by brainstorming with Ed for a few days, throwing ideas at each other in hopes that it will spark something fun. I also started to think of all the fun trips we used to take to Walt Disney World in Orlando and our favorite resorts there.

Then it hit me! Why not base each painting on a resort we've stayed at over the years? Brilliant!

So I started at The Wilderness Lodge for Chip and Dale and thought about the amazing breakfasts we used to eat before heading into the parks. Thus, "Chip and Dale's Balanced Breakfast" was born.

Then I moved onto Disney's Boardwalk Inn and how lovely it was to walk along the boardwalk during midday, listening to the waves lapping against the shoreline and the toot toot from the boats heading into Epcot. Then I imagined how Donald Duck would react to a walk along the beach and who he might encounter. Thus, "Crabby Donald" was born.

And last, but not least, was the Polynesian. Heading back home to this resort after a 'tough' day at the parks was always so comforting. Warm, tropical breezes, the soft strumming of a ukelele and a cozy bed to rest your head on. "Stitch Serenade" was born.

I will be signing alongside Joey Chou, Brian Crosby, Eunjung June Kim and Lyla Warren

from 11am till 1pm on November 15th at WonderGround Gallery, Downtown Disney® District, Ananheim, CA. For more information you can click here.

For purchase inquiries, feel free to contact Disney Merchandise Guest Services number at 877-560-6477 on/after November 15th.

I'm a Monster!

***Update: the original is available for purchase online at Hero Complex as well as limited edition prints. Proceeds go to benefit Grateful Arts***

I am happy to announce that I will have a painting in Pop 2 Action presented by Gratitude Collaborative and Hero Complex Gallery opening November 7 and running through November 9th (yes! that's one weekend only). The show is a collection of artwork inspired by pop culture (with a somewhat hidden reference to 'grateful') to help support Grateful Arts. For more information please visit Gratitude Collaborative.

For my painting I wanted to do something related to Arrested Development as it's given me so much joy over the years. After wracking my brain for an idea, I woke up one night and the phrase, "I'm a Monster" was going through my head. Anyone familiar with the show will know that was Buster's key phrase after losing his hand to a seal with a bowtie. He was also a big fan of grape juice :)

I really hope that you all love this square, fuzzy monster shape because I had such a fun time doing Buster, I decided to use it for a bunch of other upcoming shows. I'll post about those very shortly.

I also hope that you all take a moment to reflect on what makes you grateful. It could be anything from your family to the gal that made your coffee this morning and gave you a smile. It doesn't have to be much - just as long as we all remember that there's always something to be grateful for, no matter how small or insignificant we think it may be. Like painting silly monsters with big smiles.