Karyn Crisis Leatherworks on Polyvore...

http://www.polyvore.com/steampunk_fightin_sandworms/set?id=3507096

I know I am Spirit having a human experience. The Spirit part is unendingly interesting for me. It's the human part that I have difficulty with. I realize that in order to experience who and what I am, I have to be here in this body. And in this body is the only chance I have to reach enlightenment...I can't experience enlightenment out of a body..just as I can't experience myself in this set of circumstances on earth anywhere else. But I find so many of the things that are part of this human experience trivial and a waste of time these days: being in this clumsy body, having to earn money to pay bills, working any sort of job that isn't a personal creative expression. The world will say "but that's the way it is, you have to work, you have to do this and that.." but I say, why? Why can't I spend my time being in love and making art and music instead of dealing with commerce?
I believe I'm experiencing this very interesting life of mine so I could reunite with Davide now. And that's what keeps me on this planet, this incredible experience of unconditional love. And I think that nothing should get in the way of that experience. I want to have all the time to share with him all of the time, to love and be loved, to create and express, to experience the human and the spiritual that mean something to us. I don't want to deal with the rot of this world.

Shaman Mask

"Deeds Of Men" new drawing on coffee stained paper

New Leather Projects

Softie Skull Billfold Wallet and Bags..

I'm also making masks again. Here's a close-up of one. The hair is about 5 feet long..Funny thing happened on the way to oil painting..
My plan this year was to hone my oil paintings skills. Not just "hone," but take them to another several levels. I started by working on some oil paintings (that I'll post pics of soon.) I worked super hard on colors, technique (smoothness of blending), compostition, and concept. However, the concepts fell short. For some reason, the concepts didn't seem as as strong once on canvas, but I surprised myself with technique! However, they just weren't dark enough, didn't have enough to say. They were too polite.

Then I went wild working really large, without any drawings, just attacking the canvas. While those captured the movement and explosiveness I wanted, they still weren't up to part technically.

Then I listened to this weird voice inside my head that'd been saying for months "try gouache paint." Finally, I relented. All the colors were outside of my palette, and I grabbed the ones I was drawn to without analyzing too much. And I started to paint.
They are a difficult paint to work with, very chalky and not blendable...the very opposite of oils. They made me paint in a very primitive way. I was hooked! So I started painting images of my experiences with shamanism, reiki, spirits, etc. It was really free and fun- no photo references, no worries about light source, no perfection, just whatever was in my head. They painted themselves as I lost myself in 9 hours a day or more of just painting 22x30 and larger.

After this open studio, it's back to focusing on oil paintings. I've been working on their concepts and drawings during this primitive painting time. I've been learning all I can about techniques..now it's time to attack the canvas again with my first love: oil !
Oil paints have been my siren song, just like music, since I was a child. They've almost conquered me and driven me crazy, but now it's my turn to make magick...

New Work

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Super delayed on updates, but I've been entrenched in my painting studio. Lots of pics to post another day. Quick rundown: painted some new oils with new techniques. I've decided I'll not continue the subject matter, but I hope to apply what I've learned in new oils I have planned that will all be large sizes and very laden with imagery. I have almost completed about 20 acrylaGouache paintings on archival rag paper, 22" x 30" ( like the one pictured above) that I will put up for sale, framed, soon. These will be on display at my open studio in Berkeley June 5th and 6th. I've also got a handful of drawings that will be up for sale as well. Planning the large new oils as well. Whew. Pics soon!